Close ties

Wearing a pair of Cantonese-style flip-flops and sitting in his shop, Brightman warmly welcomes every customer who drops by. Most of them are frequent visitors.

Peter Millward, a British musician, has regularly visited Vibe since its inception in 2018. He always enjoys dropping by and peeking his head into the shop to see who is there for a lively chat.

Millward said there was a huge difference after Brightman took over the shop.

"I wouldn't go to the shop if I needed a specific book previously, but now people just casually drop in and have conversations together. Everyone gets involved," he said.

Beyond the book and music shop itself, Brightman aspired to craft a hub of community interaction, a place where conversations could flow and cultural exchanges could take place.

Every Saturday, he would invite a musician or a writer to visit the store. The gathering soon become a local attraction, drawing many residents from the neighborhood to mingle and take part in the cultural festivities.

As musicians filled the air with melodies and writers shared anecdotes from their lives, visitors were welcomed to join in, sit among the guests, and immerse themselves in a tapestry of global narratives.