Fa Yuen Street The Forest 花園街

Exit E2 of the Mong Kok MTR station takes you to the Fa Yuen Street The Forest which is a trendy shopping mall specializing in sneakers and sporting goods.

Besides, it also offers restaurants and an optical shop.

Fa Yuen Street the Forest’s interior features black walls, decorated with clusters of green leaves and woods, creating a forest -like atmosphere.

Address of The Forest :17 Nelson Street, Mong Kok

Website: www.theforest.hk

Sneakers Street

Fa Yuen Street, also known as “Sneakers Street,” boasts major athletic brands, including Nike and Adidas. Besides sneakers, backpacks are a popular item. These shops offer a wider variety of sports bags than typical chain stores, and some specialty styles can also be found on Fa Yuen Street.

Also, Man Shing/ Wing Shing Photo Supplies, a long-established camera shop with a rich history, is also located on Fa Yuen Street.

Change of Fa Yuen Street

Sneaker Street isn’t just Fa Yuen Street; it is a nickname of the surrounding area. You can also find many sporting goods stores in nearby Ladies’ Market and Sai Yee Street. Both parallel to Fa Yuen Street. Two alleys, including Nelson Street and Argyle Street, also have numerous shoe stores.

Also, Fa Yuen Street isn’t solely dedicated to footwear. It also houses a Mahjong school, and the MacPherson Playground for football.

However, the most common is minibus queuing scene, as Fa Yuen Street is the location of several minibus stops.

The Forest was originally intended to be mostly a shopping centre for sporting goods. Yet, you’ll find that the third floor is full of restaurants and cafes.

One interesting thing is the entrance staircase, which is full of people sitting there. Some of them are waiting to get on the bus or waiting for friends. Some of them are focused on looking at their phones.

Redevelopment Plan of Fa Yuen Street

The Forest was originally part of a redevelopment plan. In 2007 Urban Renewal Authority planned to build a ” Sports Retail City,” but it later became a three-story shopping mall.

According to newspaper reports, the Authority invited architect Lam Wan-fung to design the concept.

So you’ll see rows of old-style houses, in the middle of a newly designed shopping mall, and behind the logo of giant sporting goods.

Sneaker Street has a history of over fifty years. In the past, there were many sporting goods and stationery stores located in the tenement buildings, and bookstores selling second-hand textbooks.

Starting in the 1950s and 60s, it became fashionable for young people to wear sportswear, and in the 1970s, chain sports goods stores began to enter the market, especially in that Mong Kok area.

Therefore, you can find shops from different eras on Sneaker Street, some of which are still operating today, with some old shops having a history of over fifty years.

In terms of style, since each store has its own source of goods, you can find styles from department stores and large sporting goods stores, and you may also find affordable items.

Mong Kok Computer Centre nearby

The street corner is the Mong Kok Computer Centre, which used to be a hub for computer products. It has three floors, but the number of computer products has decreased. If you want to go inside, you can take the elevator to the top floor first, as the mall does not have escalators.

How to get there:

Address: Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Website: https://www.sneakers-street.hk/

Opening Hours: 24 hours (Each store may have specific opening hours)

References

【設計熱話】變了質的波鞋街項目. (2017). mpweekly.com . URL: https://www.mpweekly.com/culture/cu0004/%E6%B3%A2%E9%9E%8B%E8%A1%97-%E6%97%BA%E8%A7%92-%E5%B8%82%E5%BB%BA%E5%B1%80-45787

URA spurs sports activity zone in Mong Kok. (2007).Urban Renewal Authority. URL: https://www.ura.org.hk/en/news-centre/press-releases/20071221