His name is Soon Fong Lee

For nearly a century, the Lee Sun & Son general dealer stood as a cornerstone of Quigney in East London, serving generations of residents and weathering the tides of segregation and urban change. Founded in 1931, the beloved Currie Street emporium dispensed everything from daily essentials to warmth and dignity under the stewardship of Soon Fong Lee, affectionately known to regulars as Dougie.

Now, at 91 years of age, Lee and his wife Chiu-Lan have finally closed the doors for good, auctioning off decades of history. The shop's closure signals the poignant end of an era for East London’s historic Chinese immigrant community, whose hard work over the counter funded university degrees and built a lasting legacy across South Africa.