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Antique Alley

By Changmoh • Monday, 28 January 2013 • House & Home, More Dash than Cash

I have banged on about this before, but I love discovering places in Singapore that make you feel like you’re stepping back in time.

This strange but completely wonderful row of dilapidated, dusty old stables lie just beyond the Blue House school in Turf City and are chock full of antique finds.  Some that you definitely wouldn’t want (a no longer working TV set from the 60s) and some that you would (beautiful antique bird cages, elm dressers and kopitiam-style tables with their white, grey-veined marble inlay).

‘Antique row’ is actually made up of two shops. The first one is less exciting and also much smaller.  Things here are generally in quite good condition though and when we popped in there were lovely lamps (pictured below), record players and other things that I am sure I could have accommodated if only I had a bigger house (not an argument I can see myself winning with H: ‘I’d like a big house please so I can fill it with old things no one else wants’).

The second, much larger shop a bit further along, ‘Junkies Corner’, is the best place to start. It’s a barn of a place and the entrance is marked by two huge stone dogs of foe (or it was when I went there last week but he may have sold them by now).

A veritable, real-life Aladdin’s cave there are some things here that look as though they’ve been ripped straight out of the black and whites from colonial days.

Although he’ll sell to anyone, his customers are usually dealers based in and around Malaysia. He cites space as a real issue for people here in Singapore – which gives them less scope to buy from him – whereas in Malaysia there’s not quite the same problem.

(I do so love the browsing cockerel who we met on our first trip here, see above.)

The perfect place to visit in the hope of picking up something really quite special before embarking on a Taylor B trawl, it’s a great starting point if you’re looking for something specific.

But…be warned…due to its new location (he used to be out in the East) he is used to seeing one of two angmoh and there is, I’m afraid to say, angmoh pricing.

This is actually a fairly easy problem to get around.  You just need the ability to bargain firmly yet politely, to really want what you are buying and to bring a Singaporean friend along with you to lend some credibility to your cause.

Both antique shops are at 2 Turf City Road and are open from around 10am.  Don’t call (they begged me not to put their numbers on this post as they hate people ringing them up to ask whether they have a particular item in stock)…just go!

I was introduced to this find by my Italian/Brit friend who has grown up in Singapore and is a goldmine of random and unlikely finds. Thank you MC.

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  • Leni Monday, 28 January 2013 at 5:04 PM

    Thanks for the post! Funnily enough my 14 year old son has just asked me for an antique typewriter! this may be a good place to start??

    Leni

    • Changmoh Tuesday, 29 January 2013 at 9:32 AM

      …the perfect place to start I would have said! Good luck x

  • yen chang Thursday, 30 May 2013 at 6:59 PM

    Interesting place,thanks for posting…just love these low profile places! You can also check out this cool vintage store I stumbled upon in Singapore. It’s called the attic,lifestyle store(google the shop). It is on the 4th floor in an old shopping mall called Far East Plaza just next to the Hyatt Hotel. Don’t bother checking the mall’s directory cause it’s not there…likewise I believe the owner just want to keep the store underground and less commercial. The door is mostly shut so you must manually slide the door open to get in. It opens mid-day around 3.30pm till late. I remembered clearly the opening hours because i had to make a return trip there as I when there too early. Trust me that this place is a treasure trove for genuine vintage lovers and totally worth my effort walking back. Hope this hunt will help benefit those looking for something different and interesting in Singapore!

    • Changmoh Tuesday, 4 June 2013 at 12:02 PM

      Thank you for sharing. I popped by yesterday (I think it might be closed Monday) and had to content myself with a good old stare through the window. It looked like a treasure trove for retro finds including beautiful old Christian Dior sunglasses x

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The Chinese Angmoh

The Chinese Angmoh
Why the strange name? Changmoh is an amalgamation of the words Chinese & 'Angmoh' (local speak for Caucasian should you be reading this in a country other than SG) // I'm an English girl living in Singapore and love the local way of life so much that I actually think I’m half Chinese. Maybe even three-quarters // Freelancer writer, author and editor ... you read it here first.

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