Nora Store on Raojibhai Patel St in Suva is an iconic trading outlet.
It was there when Fiji gained independence, withstood political upheavals and immeasurable climatic events and continues to operate today.
And at the heart of the business is Nora Fong. At 98, she sits comfortably at the shop entrance and welcomes patrons, fluent in the Bauan, Serua and Naitasiri dialects.
Speaking to The Fiji Times, Nora said people in Nabena in Vunidawa, Naitasiri called her by her first name or “Bui”.
She said in her more than 70 years of business, she had seen ups and downs.
“Things were better before than they are nowadays,” the nonagenarian said.
Apart from the pride and satisfaction of seeing her business sustain operations until today, Nora said she was also happy with the place she called home – the 4th floor of her building at Raojibhai Patel St.
One of her workers Eseta Yabaki said Nora started her business in Nabena Village in the ‘50s.
Ms Yabaki said her father gave Nora’s husband, Mayun Fong, a piece of land to establish their shop.
She said they had an agreement with Mr Fong’s family that all their relatives would be employed in the business.
Ms Yabaki said that was where Nora’s business started. Ms Yabaki said when Nora and her husband operated their shop at Nabena, they helped the people of Naitasiri during the banana trading days.
“Nora sewed a lot of clothes and people from Vunidawa, Wainimala and Waidina used to buy from her shop and they also had a bowser (fuel pump) for boat engines,” the 67-year-old said.
“Cars and buses were not popular at that time, people used the river for their transportation by carting bamboo and bananas down the Rewa River.
“Nora was the only shop in the province of Naitasiri and everybody used to buy from her shop.”
Ms Yabaki said in 1964, Nora and her family moved to Marks Lane in Suva where they bought land and built their iconic building.
Ms Yabaki said when she left school in 1969, she came to Suva to help Nora with the business and also stayed with her.
Ms Yabaki said even though she was not well educated, Nora taught her how to run the shop and trusted her with the intricacies and finances of the store.
“We used to get orders from Vanuatu, Nauru and Christmas Island worth between $48,000 and $65,000 at that time.
“When Nora knew that her business was running smoothly, she bought a house near Studio 6 on Waimanu Rd so that people coming from overseas could stay there.
“During the ‘70s, there was a political party called the Alliance Party, which was led by Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, and there was a candidate called Raojibhai Patel who was staying at Nora’s building at that time.
“When the Alliance Party won the election that year, they changed the name of the road from Marks Lane to Raojibhai Patel St.”
Ms Yabaki said when Nora’s husband died, she stayed with Nora and they kept the business going together.
The Nabena native said Nora did not run the shop anymore. She stayed on the 4th floor most days and was looked after by a niece who now owns the shop.
Ms Yabaki said the people of Naitasiri regarded Nora as family and they often visited her when they travelled to Suva.
“Nora is like a mother to all the villagers of Nabena and they love to just come and talanoa because she speaks the dialect very well.
“The remains of their first shop are still in our village and the villagers clean it every time there is a vakoro (village cleaning day).”
