自言不喜愛喧鬧環境，偏好在隱蔽、私密性高的地段開店，「ANCHORET」譯為隱士，是香港人Onkit Wong和Kayuet Chau於2012年開業於北京三里屯的服飾選物店，引入了Toogood、Lemaire、Martine Rose、Alyx，032c和Both等，不張揚而強調設計品質的品牌；至於店內裝潢，也均以天然材質如木頭、黃銅和水泥等打造，油然生出一份質樸的優雅氣息，也令我對店家予留下深刻的印象。所以二人後來告訴我，他們準備要回香港開店的時候，曾作為北京店訪客的我，自然也是引頸以待。
Quietly tucked away in a hidden neighborhood in Beijing Sanlitun, the boutique ANCHORET is aptly named for the seclusion of its location. Opened in 2012 by Hong Kong born and raised Onkit Wong and Kayuet Chau, ANCHORET has been introducing various unconventional and well-designed brands, such as Toogood, Lemaire, Martine Rose, Alyx, 032c and Both. The interior design features a clever blend of concrete, recycled wood, and brass as major materials, together exuding a rustic elegance. I was so impressed by the overall style upon my first visit to their shop in Beijing; when I learned about the couple’s decision about a new shop location back in Hong Kong, I was naturally thrilled.
ANCHORET香港店選址在西環第二街，是一個獨棟三層樓的建築，地下一樓劃為咖啡店的空間。走進店裡時，抬頭會看見高掛著的霓虹燈牌，以北魏體勾勒出「歡迎光臨」四字；此外，咖啡廳的吧檯以水磨石打造，是幾近失傳而常見於老房子的建築工法；映襯下來都是專屬於老香港的元素。「西環這一帶有許多迄立多年的老店和老建築，近年又陸續冒起很多新店家，整個社區新舊並蓄，我們才想著能不能把這些元素反映在香港店的空間內。」Kayuet說道。
ANCHORET is nestled in a three-story building on Second Street in Sai Ying Pun, the first floor provides space for a cafe, where a big welcome sign in ancient Chinese calligraphy style is hanging high up behind the bar, shining in neon light. The material of the barrister’s bar has adopted a terrazzo technique which is often found in old tenement building but becoming rare nowadays. The whole vibe easily reminds people of the old Hong Kong days. “Sai Wan (Western District) is an old area with its old shops and buildings keeping the traditional charm. Recently the district is becoming home to many budding new shops; we found this juxtaposition of new and old very interesting, and want to reflect these elements in the space of our shop in Hong Kong,” said Kayuet.
沿樓梯向上，ANCHORET的二樓空間佔一半是沙發休憩區，另一半是雜誌和飾品的展示區。Kayuet說二樓的空間和樓高不如一、三樓，只長長一條走廊連接著樓梯，是樓層空間中的緩衝地區。「我們希望在咖啡店與服飾區之間，以二樓作為緩衝的區隔。客人可以選擇走上三樓看衣服，也可以選擇坐下享用咖啡，止步於此。」而在二樓的主要通道上，店主二人更大膽地挖空牆身，安裝上玻璃充作展示櫥窗；窗內偶爾空無一物，偶爾置放藝術品或商品。
Climbing up the stairs, you will find the second floor of ANCHORET to be half filled by sofas, and the rest of the space is a display area of magazines and homeware. Kayuet sees this floor as a buffering area in the building since the ceiling height here is lower than that of the first and third floor. “We want to use the second floor as some sort of a corridor connecting the cafe on the first floor and the boutique area on the third floor.” The space is not simply a buffer area, the owners also did various experiments by embedding glass cupboards into the wall of the aisles that are occasionally used as display windows for the artworks or merchandise.
輾轉過後，我們終於來到「隱士」的主臥房，呈「井」字型的三樓空間。在三樓，客人可以先走進靠近店外大街的服飾區，接著穿過帽子區，最後才拐回去服務櫃台和飾品專區，是一氣呵成的緊湊體驗。而因為三樓安裝上大幅的帷幕玻璃，白天時街上的社區風景清晰可見，客人仿佛置身其中；到晚上店裡又打開所有電燈，與入夜後冷冷清清的西環街頭形成強烈對比；由日到夜都是截然不同的氛圍。
We have browsed through a lot and finally arrived at the third floor — the main chamber of ANCHORET. Here, customers can start the tour from the garments area on the side facing the main street, then move to the area for hats, before turning back to the front desk and homeware corner for a complete experience. During the day, the use of big glass curtain wall has blended the street scenes into the interior; while at night, the brightly lit shop becomes a lighthouse of stark contrast to the quiet street. From day to night, the atmosphere would turn distinctly different.
誠然店面內的格局不正，動線流向和樓層布局詭橘多變，反倒有一種連綿不斷的驚喜。除了前述種種，在店裡走動時還會發現店家的諸多心思，比如是用白紗布包裹起來的水晶燈，舊化的斑駁天花綴飾，散發出半帶優雅的滄桑感；隨處可見的黃銅電燈開關、飯店立牌，重塑出老牌大飯店的架勢；又甚或是靠近在高聳天花板上的電視螢幕上，定格著由《辛普林家族》中的眾多角色，對Edward Hopper名畫《Nighthawk》的戲仿情景；整個店內閒逛的期間，就宛若置身遊樂場的迷宮一般，在每每一個轉角處都會發現店主留下的注腳，含蓄地宣示著他們的出身、品味與幽默感。
The shop has irregular yet interesting floor plans, which bring countless surprises to visitors as they browse through the different floors. Simply keep exploring and you can see there are many more intriguing ideas scattered around in the shop awaiting to be discovered. For instance, a chandelier that is wrapped in gauze, vintage ceiling decorations that exhibit a rustic charm, the omnipresent brass switches, old and bold restaurant signs… Even the TV hanging right below the high ceiling is showing a still image of Simpson’s diner, which is a parody of Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. As you wander around in leisure, the shop turns itself into a maze dotted with different hints left by the owners at various corners, to subtly remind you their upbringings, taste and sense of humor.
香港西營盤第二街2A
G/F, 2A SECOND STREET Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong
