Singapore – Shopkeeper Stories

Eating houses in Singapore | Our public living room

14 August, 2015 One of the most beautiful traits of the coffee houses (or eating houses) in Singapore is that anyone can come in and feel at ease over a hot meal or drink. There is no gender divide: women are just as welcome as men. There is little class consciousness: in fact, strangers across social…

“If the stock is stuck, our cash is stuck.”

Two book lovers named Shannon and Mike fell in love with the idea of starting a bookshop together in 2009— and they did it. Ten years later, their shop is an iconic destination for other book lovers, and they even started a second brand. Shannon walks us through the life of a business owner in…

“This is a different space.”

How to keep a bookshop meaningful in an era of online shopping: one business owner shares their approach.

Give them something new to discover

Kenny Leck runs an iconic store in Singapore called BooksActually. It is a local bookstore that specializes in carefully curated books, vintage goods, and odds-and-ends that book lovers universally tend to love. They offer an assortment of items such as notebooks, tote bags, and sealing wax, celebrating the art of writing and communication. BooksActually has…

The bookstore slows you down

Tucked along a vibrant row of shops flaunting kaleidoscopic carpets, bags, and trinkets, stands a shop adorned with nothing but a modest chalkboard on the sidewalk. Passerby need to step inside to see what it holds. This is Wardah Books, a literary haven curated by Ibrahim Tahir for over 16 years. From its humble beginnings…

Surviving as a specialist of books

Basheer Graphic Books is an iconic shop in Singapore that is known for its design-related books, run by Abdul Nasser whom you can often see at the store. The shop has a rich history dating back to the 1980s when Abdul Nasser’s father would personally go from office to office with travelling luggages filled with…

Sharing a table with strangers

The aunty in pink has been working as a hawker for over 40 years. As I sat near her stall chowing down a delicious plate of hor fun (flat white noodles), a man in his 70s came by with a bottle of beer and asked if he could sit at my table. I said: of…

Are you stationary?

The owner of Modern Book Store is Mr Tan. He has run the shop for the past 30 years. His stock has stayed the same despite the decades, reflecting a time capsule of objects that bring back tactile memories for students and office workers : highlighters, staplers, glue, and post-it notes. Mr. Tan shares how…

Expand your small business gradually

Turning a hobby into a retirement business “This is just a way to pass my old age.” Salim Buang is in his 60s and turned his hobby into a small business after getting retrenched during the 2008 economic crisis. His shop feels like a treasure trove of wooden crafts, jewellery, and collectable items that he…

107 Hawker Centres in Singapore

While I was doing my doctoral research in Sociology, I was spending a lot of time exploring hawker centres and markets in Singapore. Every day, I would look for new sites. Where are all these 107 hawker centres located? This led me to wonder: which markets are clustered close together? Which markets are more isolated?…

Angry Birds don’t like advice

Angry Birds needs no introduction, and neither does Peter Vesterbacka, the creator of the massively popular game from the Finnish company Rovio Entertainment. I had a chance to attend a power-packed conference called InnovFest unBound that featured all-star speakers sharing concrete insights from their numerous touchpoints with entrepreneurship. Peter Vesterbacka is an incredibly approachable and friendly guy (how can you…

Not too chicken

“Hi sister! What do you want?” Lai Fun was sitting on a stool reading the newspapers. It was the lull of the afternoon when most market stalls were closing for the day. The signboard above their stall says Fatty Supplier. “My father-in-law and brother-in-law were very fat, so we called them… fatty suppliers!” The husband-and-wife…

Capturing Hearts

Fai and his team have documented more than 300 weddings in Singapore and featured in two consecutive issues of the the magazine Her World Brides. It takes not just talent but grit to shine in a saturated photography market, and Fai shares his experience starting from rock bottom. Never feel discouraged by negative feedback “The most important…

Timeless Gems

Marilyn Tan was a seasoned family lawyer when she decided to quit her job to spend more time with her children as a stay-at-home mother. Brimming with energy, she started experimenting with jewellery designs and, today, Marilyn Tan stands among Singapore’s most acclaimed jewellers. In this interview, Marilyn describes the shift she experienced when she took her…

Junk

“The market is very dirty,” Terence says, tugging gently at his singlet to show the grime. “Dirty and hot.” His mother had been selling coffee powder for over 20 years and decided to bring her son into the business after his National Service. Terence obliged and has continued for the past 13 years. “Surprisingly, and…

Intellectual Property

Murgiana Haq started her own law firm in 1997 and was later joined by her daughters, Tasneem and Ferzana, who are similarly accomplished in IP law. Today, the trio manage an impressive portfolio fanning multinationals and small enterprises in Singapore and across the world. In this interview, the Haqs share their approach to starting and…

Taking Stock

“I used to work in an electronics factory and it was exhausting. We had to stand all day at the assembly line, and our eyes got tired from using the microscope. We manufactured parts for cameras and printers. Then one day my friend said: why don’t we do this business? So I said: okay” To…

A gift for you from Shopkeeper Stories

SHARE THE LOVE Share your 3 favourite posts from the Facebook page and I’ll mail you the book for free – no matter where you live in the world! It means a lot to me that you appreciate these posts about small business owners, and this is my way of saying Thank You. Just send me a…

Keeping it real

Walking into this shop, you will be delighted with the calming aura of a tropical forest, as though its fragrance was freshly awakened from the rain. The baskets and vases are hand-fashioned out of natural material such as atah roots with designs that leap out for their distinctive style. Rose Ramzan has been in the…

Books Actually

Passion is not enough. You need commitment. “Business is not just about passion: passion only brings you along that much. There are people who decide they want to be a doctor in their early 20s and go through the process and they are still doctors at 60. A person who has chosen a vocation has…

Many Jars

Little shops express a sense of home where people spend their days and their lives. The shop is a home away from home that interacts with the community: welcome, and let us help you however we can. When I stepped into this medical hall tucked into a row of shops in the neighbourhood, Jie Sheng,…

Provision Shop

“People in the older generation still buy all the individual ingredients to make soups and curries— they know the recipes well and have more time to cook, but younger people prefer using premade mixes where the spices are already combined. They are busier, and maybe they are not as familiar with the recipes. So we sell…

Spice of life

Poonam runs a provision shop selling Indian ingredients in a market cluster where you can find hawkers selling fruits, poultry, vegetables, dried beans and other goods for the kitchen. Her shop was open for less than a year at the time of interview, and this is her first business. Poonam does not need to work…

Snack Shop

“This is my mother’s shop. I’m helping her out.” “She’s lucky to have you.” “I’m lucky to have her!” Wendy Fam regularly helps her mother at the shop after school. Working from 7.00am to 7.00pm every day (except Mondays), her mother’s long hours leave little time for household chores. Thankfully, her husband and children lend…

Fast Lane

Shirley stood out in bright pink while working amidst motorcycles and vehicle equipment. How did she enter this trade? “My grandfather sold bicycles, my father sold motorcycles, my brother is doing repairs, and we also make license plates. My son talks to the dealers.” I asked whether she rides a motorbike and she shook her…

Fruits of labour

Say hey to May! May and her brother work together selling fruits at the Clementi West market. “My mother is old, she stays home to rest.” In this dizzying array of fruits, her favourite is the avocado which she loves to “blend with milk to drink.” There are about 5-6 fruit stalls located in close…

The sole of business

In a culture where it is common to buy and throw things away at an increasing rate—phones, friends, furniture—Chia Chong Sin is in the business of preservation. His work reminds us that there are more to material things than their monetary value, and that another value—sentimental value—still matters. His trade is not just about reviving…

What’s your beef?

“I started helping my father in primary school. At first it was only during school holidays, but then I left school to help him every day. While he was doing deliveries, I took care of the stall. At the time, I was still quite young, so I found the work quite fun. I taught myself…

Free gift for you from Shopkeeper Stories

Here is a free gift for you! A gorgeous coffeetable book showcasing interviews from 20+ vibrant trades in Singapore from books to lingerie to electronics! This medley of photographic essays will delight you with inspiration and insight. To get this free gift, simply share any of your 3 favourite posts from the Shopkeeper Stories Facebook page…

Sweet Stalker

In Singapore, you can find refreshing cold sugarcane juice at the local markets. The juice is made from extracting sap directly from sugarcane stalks, without using additives. Sugarcane is not a fruit, but it is actually a type of grass that looks like bamboo. Each mug of fresh sugarcane juice costs $1 to $1.50 (less…

“Not what you know, but who you know.”

If you’re looking for practical advice on running a business, you’ll find a wealth of information online. But, what makes these interviews truly invaluable is the firsthand insight gained from the rough-and-tumble experiences of ordinary people who took bold steps to turn their ideas into reality. Each person has their own unique strategies that worked…

Branding an online electronics business

Every success story has a plot that is littered with bruises from tripping and falling. Stories of sharp regret. That moment when you think with paralysing horror: “Whoops” on realizing that you messed up an opportunity, and wishing you could turn back time, and do it all over again. However, here’s an unremarkable truth: we don’t need to…

Building an e-commerce business from the ground-up

I had a wonderful opportunity to chat over coffee with Abel Neoh to explore the nuts-and-bolts of his electronics business that he started in 2010. The interview was rich, textured, and brimming with insights. His insights came in handy for my PhD research about small businesses, so I decided to capture the key points in…

Staying with the story

Chrissy Lim is no stranger to starting and steering quality businesses. She is the founder of Paperplane, a visual storytelling studio, and her trail of remarkable projects includes Quickcut and Kitchenomics. In this interview, Chrissy looks back on her business journey and shares an honest perspective on what it takes to strike out and wander into business for the first…

Working in a Virtual Reality

The award-winning book and documentary “Guns, Germs, and Steel” introduced the gripping theory that the fate of human development is intimately connected to our physical environment. The author Jared Diamond provides a convincing case that unique geographical circumstances— rather than intellectual brilliance— enabled some societies to progress faster than others, combating illusions of cultural superiority…

Practical tips to your first 10,000 users

Like a bright-eyed child sprinting around gleefully and exclaiming – “Look at this! Look at this!” – entrepreneurs who design something cool naturally want to tell it (and sell it) to the world. And then begins the long gruelling journey of discovering that not everyone cares, and embarking on the path of improving your proposition…

Carpet Trade

A mother-and-daughter team from Iran are bringing the rich tradition of carpets to Singapore. Iran is known for their exquisite Persian carpets which made up 13% of their total exports in 2012. The largest buyers were Germany (29%) and Japan. If you have a curiosity for the flow of commodities around the world, you might…

Two strategies to stand out: specialization and spectacular service

Why we love flowers Things are “just things” – plain physical objects that clutter our material world. However, humans are obsessed with attaching deeper meaning to objects, and corporate powers often manipulate us into believing these stories of significance. For instance, De Beers released a viral marketing slogan “Diamonds are forever” to persuade us that…

Dry Season

Ah Xin began working in the provision shop as a sprightly 10-year-old, enthusiastically helping her parents. Fast forward fifty years, and her vibrant spirit still shines through as she stocks her cozy little store with an array of dried and preserved goods: dried red chilli, dried fish, dried mushrooms, dried chrysanthemum flowers, dried tofu… you get…

Temple of Knowledge

Little Prayer Shop August is the month of the 7th month of the lunar calendar for Buddhists and Taoists. The gates of the Afterlife open and ghosts of the dead return to Earth to linger among the living. Families make offerings to appease the souls of the dead and pray for their well-being in the Underworld, and…

Housework

“This shop was started by my father-in-law. When I got married, I started working here with my husband. 38 years already. But now, no new customers, all from before.”

Intense & Intimate

I don’t always get a chance to chat with the traders. For instance, just as I took this photo, a flock of older Chinese and Malay women surrounded me on all sides and essentially nudged me from the scene so that they could pick through the vegetables while firing an endless bullet of questions to…

The early bird catches the… fish!

Mr Ang has been selling fish at the Jurong East market in Singapore for the past 50 years (he’s 75 years old), following after his father who also sold fish. However, he advised his son not to pursue the business, especially with his higher education, so his son now works “in an air-conditioned office”. Mr.…

Doll Me Up (Chapter 5): Family Life

People living in the Arctic region have about a thousand words for “snow” because they are sensitive to the quality of snow for everyday decisions like sledding, catching seals, building houses, and so on. Meanwhile, Singaporeans have a colourful package of words to describe the weather such as “damn hot” “super hot” “so hot cannot take it”…

Doll Me Up (Chapter 4): Growing the business

It come as no surprise to learn that businesses are constantly reinventing themselves to stay relevant, where “brick-and-mortars” are becoming “click-and-mortars” and fresh strategies are needed to remain valuable. Those who cling stubbornly to routines from the past are quick to go extinct. A prominent businessman in Singapore, Dr Theyvandran, put it bluntly. “A business cannot stay stagnant.…

Doll Me Up (Chapter 3): Marketing

Nazlin Hilal, founder of Doll Me Up Cosmetics, shares some strategies that she uses to ‘put wheels on her business’ and sustain spectacular standards of service. Nazlin has a warm and affectionate personality, so it’s easy to see why people like her: she is sincere about providing value to her customers, and has a lovely way of…

Doll Me Up (Chapter 2): Creating a product and brand

The peril of neglecting branding: don’t let others define you Nazlin Hilal realised quite early that she needed a “brand” to propel her growth in the cosmetic business. When we imagine a brand, we usually imagine a giant household name such as Nike. However, small businesses can also create a brand, even if the brand…

Doll Me Up (Chapter 1): Starting a business

We wish it were easier, but there is no zipline to our dreams. Our reality is a messy terrain of endless adaptation, and we have to zig-zag through a world riddled with risk. The adventure of starting your own business seems daunting, but it beckons flirtatiously to those with patience in the journey. The journey…

Doll Me Up: Introducing Nazlin Hilal

I’m sitting across the table and watching Nazlin handle one of the toughest negotiators in her studio. “Danish. You need to listen to this.” Danish eyes her confidently, and does not relent. I watch as he ponders his next strategic move, peering from the back of her chair where she cannot see him. “Oh Danish, I’m in the middle…

15 minutes in a hawker centre in Singapore [Part II]

Urban Runway The hawker centre in Singapore is noisy and spontaneous and the centre of gravity for much of our routine social action. In this post, I’d like to present 10 scenes of activity in exactly the same place. Far from the glitz and glamour of Marina Bay Sands, this is the ordinary picture of life that most of…

Category: Singapore