Albert Leong shows off some of the original herbs and medicines still inside Bow on Tong apothecary.
What is old can become new again.
At 100-years-old, Bow on Tong apothecary is one of Lethbridge’s oldest buildings in need of refurbishment.
An apothecary is a natural medicine store established in the early 1900’s that has Traditional Chinese Medicine such as herbal medicine and dried goods.
Over the years, the building did not have the proper funding to maintain its structural integrity and is currently in the middle of renovations.
e length of the project has now extended much further than originally expected.
“The problem with this deadline is that it’s driving on, which is nobody’s fault, it’s just that we’re short on money,” said Albert Leong who was born in the basement of the building.
“When I moved out I was told it would take three months for me to get back in and now it’s three years and three months.”
Leong hopes to be back in his home soon and share one of the many stories he has about living in the apothecary.
“There used to be a saying that if my dad didn’t have what you needed, no one had it. Because my dad would bring in snakes, lizards and scorpions where another store would only bring in snakes or lizards or scorpions for a certain remedy,” told Leong of many memories he still holds.
Even when he isn’t around, Leong wants the history of Bow on Tong to carry on and people to remember how important Chinatown was and is for Lethbridge.“Say 50 years from now some kid comes in and says ‘Look at this place, this is how it was in the 1920’s,’” said Leong. “So that would be nice.”
e apothecary could be getting some good news in the near future as it is currently in a national competition to put $40,000 into renovations and could be recognized by the province.
“Bow on Tong [has] been one of our very important buildings, in fact we just got word the other day that it is on the final stage of being accepted as [a] provincial heritage site,” said Ted Stilson, executive director of the Main Street Project.
e importance of the building isn’t only a big part of downtown Lethbridge, but it is only one of a few apothecary’s left across the country.
“The other good thing is there are very few Chinese apothecaries of that original build left in Canada, potentially North America, potentially in the world,” said Stilson who has put years of work into making sure Bow on Tong holds its place downtown.
Leong has his fingers crossed in hopes that they are lucky enough to win the competition, but knows they are in the same boat as other projects looking to reach their own goals.
You can vote once a day until Nov. 15 on thisplacematters.ca to help Bow on Tong receive the necessary funds to bring it back to original form.
