KATONG MALL
photo credited: timesofmylife
>> Mall before its renovation
>> Mall under renovation when we visited the site!
photo credited: oceanskies79
The heritage marker standing right in front of Katong Mall gives people a brief introduction of the entire Katong/ Joo Chiat area. However, upon our arrival at Katong Mall, we realize that the shopping mall is currently under a new phase of renovation, and the words on the heritage marker had faded away due to its prolonged exposure to rain and shine.
Even so, we were able to conduct a research on the history of Katong and Joo Chiat through online sources. We discovered that Katong/ Joo Chiat used to be an area filled with coconut plantations and attap-roofed kampungs. In the 1920s and 1930s, many different communities moved to the eastern side of Singapore and resided in Katong/ Joo Chiat. To reflect the multi-cultural heritage in modern Katong/ Joo Chiat, over 700 buildings in the area have been conserved.
FORMER TAY BUAN GUAN SHOP
Now RUMAH BEBE
113 East Coast Rd
Directly opposite the former Joo Chiat Police Station, we arrived at Rumah Bebe. The faint TBG print on the pillar at the shopfront is the only reminiscence of the former occupant, the Tay Buan Guan shop.
Unit 113 East Coast Road was the first Tay Buan Guan Shop opened by an entrepreneur, Tay Leck Teck. He wounded his business during the war and after which, made a return and expanded his business in 1948. He purchased a piece of land bounded by East Coast Road, Joo Chiat Road and Fowlie Road and set up the first departmental store in the East, the Tay Buan Guan Supermarket. Business flourished and it became one of the most renown shopping area amongst Singaporeans.
However, with the addition of Katong Shopping Centre in 1973 and the Parkway Parade in 1984, more alternatives were made available to the residents in Katong. Thus, the Tay Buan Guan shop could not keep up with its competitors and the company name eventually walked into history in the year 2000.
The Katong Antique House is a quaint, two-storey shophouse lovingly decorated by the owner, Mr. Peter Wee (in 1979) to resemble a typical Peranakan home. It showcases exclusive belongings and artifacts of the Wee family, that have been carefully preserved, so that they retained their original quality and charm even till today. We saw intricately beaded slippers, gold bangles and earrings that Peranankan women adorn in their hair, traditional Peranakan kebayas and many more. The place also sells specially made spices like Belachan and curry powder - essentials in a typical Peranakan meal. It was as though we have stepped into a totally different world altogether, when we entered the Katong Antique House - one full of rich Peranakan sights and smells, that made you want to stay just a little bit longer.
Unit 113 East Coast Road was the first Tay Buan Guan Shop opened by an entrepreneur, Tay Leck Teck. He wounded his business during the war and after which, made a return and expanded his business in 1948. He purchased a piece of land bounded by East Coast Road, Joo Chiat Road and Fowlie Road and set up the first departmental store in the East, the Tay Buan Guan Supermarket. Business flourished and it became one of the most renown shopping area amongst Singaporeans.
However, with the addition of Katong Shopping Centre in 1973 and the Parkway Parade in 1984, more alternatives were made available to the residents in Katong. Thus, the Tay Buan Guan shop could not keep up with its competitors and the company name eventually walked into history in the year 2000.
Katong Antique House
208 East Coast Rd
The Katong Antique House is a quaint, two-storey shophouse lovingly decorated by the owner, Mr. Peter Wee (in 1979) to resemble a typical Peranakan home. It showcases exclusive belongings and artifacts of the Wee family, that have been carefully preserved, so that they retained their original quality and charm even till today. We saw intricately beaded slippers, gold bangles and earrings that Peranankan women adorn in their hair, traditional Peranakan kebayas and many more. The place also sells specially made spices like Belachan and curry powder - essentials in a typical Peranakan meal. It was as though we have stepped into a totally different world altogether, when we entered the Katong Antique House - one full of rich Peranakan sights and smells, that made you want to stay just a little bit longer.
