Semua House

Paying a visit to Semua House is akin to taking a trip down memory lane and revisiting a Malaysian childhood of a specific era. Children of the 1980s would likely remember their parents lugging them along to go shopping at Semua House, a shopping complex located in the long stretch of Jalan Bunus, Kuala Lumpur. It is one of the favourite spots where families would go to celebrate festivities in pomp and pride, to find traditional wear especially for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, bridal items for that big wedding day, jewellery to give to oneself or to that special someone, leather goods, and various knick knacks. It was once a lively complex in the vibrant area of Masjid India, historically known as a textile district, not only to those looking for something to wear for a special occasion, but also for local craftsmen to source materials for fashion and apparel making.

However, for any building in the city centre, what more a shopping complex, to remain alive and standing through generations is a tall order. Like many other shopping malls in KL, Semua House succumbed to an almost death brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. While it used to shine in the heart of Masjid India, it lost much of its lustre and subsequently foot traffic after Covid-19, forcing its owners to rethink whether to close it permanently or to reimagine the structure to keep up with the times.

Semua House did close down, at least for a while. In September 2022, after 36 years of being in operation, Semua House finally drew its curtains, making the future of the mall left in limbo. At the time, some of the tenants hoped that the mall would be revived through major renovations, and they contemplated whether or not to return. Then in May 2024, after a couple of years of renovations and refurbishing works, a major overhaul revived Semua House into modernisation, hoping to resonate with those who grew up the 1980’s and used to visit the mall with their families.

Today, most of the previous tenants have moved on, opening shop in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and even as far as Seri Kembangan, making room for more established local brands to take over as new tenants in Semua House. Habib Jewels maintains a shop lot on the Ground Floor of Semua House for sentimental reasons as this is where its first branch in Kuala Lumpur was opened. Although the mall houses more established brands as tenants, it has not erased the fundamental core of what Semua House once stood for – a place where small businesses started, especially in textiles and apparel, and grew beyond their single stores. It is a place of birth and growth – an incubator to germinate small businesses to grow beyond its infancy and thrive. True to its capacity to serve as an incubator, the mall cordoned a space for small experimental enterprises to showcase their products, especially in textile and jewellery. One such space is called KA.IN, a platform for young designers to set up pop up stalls to exhibit their fashion wares. Bazaars are organised at least once a month here to gather new and innovative creations in apparel, jewellery design and sometimes food as well, bringing the younger crowd to Semua House.

Today, the current management of Semua House envision the creation of a connected and successful community around the mall, consisting of both innovators and patrons. The mall was designed as a public space to not only showcase innovative inventions in apparel, jewellery design, wares and food, but also to provide a space to congregate, have fun and share knowledge. The main staircase is designed aesthetically to enable Instagram worthy shots to be taken, and it is simultaneously designed as an amphitheatre, where people can sit and conduct various talks. A skateboard park is nestled in one of the floors below for skaters to practice their skills.

Andrew Tan, the owner of Semua House who inherited the building from his grandfather, has big shoes to fill. He didn’t want Semua House to fade into the night, not able to survive through the changing times. He did what he had to do and engaged Urban Agenda Design Group to carry out a complete overhaul of the building, in hopes that it will radiate as brightly in this new era as it once did. After my brief tour of Semua House, I am eager to see what it has to offer in the future, with hopes that its cross generational changes will bring it back to be the ‘it’ mall that it once was.