THE SECOND
FLOOR
The second floor has a liquor bar, some old eateries, a modern Korean Bingsu shop, guitar shops, and beauty services.
#02-02
guitar gallery
"this place (parklane) is becoming a bit too sleezy"
- Mr terry, owner.
Boasting of a premium selection of guitars, Guitar Gallery has been well-frequented by many guitar enthusiasts and professionals for the past 15 years.
Photos of Mr Terry standing with customers are plastered across his office door. Mr Terry pointed to one of them and said that the man was the famous singer, Lobo, before crooning out one of his old tunes, “Stoney, happy all the time”. He also pointed out to us a photo of Jack and Rai, commenting that they frequent his store as well.
According to Mr Terry, Parklane was once home to several guitar and music-related shops, but many of them had to close down because of stiff competition and high rental. The reason his store survived was because of his niche brand, which dabbles in high-end guitars. His premium line of guitars is what draws in many loyal customers, most of whom are high flyers, such as lawyers and neuro-doctors. One of them includes Dr Lam Peng Er, a political scientist and research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asia Institute, who was featured in The Straits Times for his passion for singing and the guitar. Dr Lam often visits Guitar Gallery and has become good friends with Mr Terry.
When asked about his views on the infamous “massage parlours” situated in Parklane, he admitted that “this place is becoming a bit too sleazy” and suggested that these parlours should be renamed “dirty parlours”. Thankfully, his business isn’t too affected by these dubious establishments.
Embodying wisdom and self-assurance, being in Mr Terry’s presence was certainly refreshing. It’s not hard to see how this man has managed to build up such an established name for himself in the guitar retail industry.
#02-03
Putri Hayyu Authentic Cafe
Themes: #Bubbles
"business is not as comparable to more popular shopping districts"
- Mr mustafa
Mr Mustafa is one seasoned businessman with over 30 years of experience in the F&B business. He has been in business in Parklane for the past 5 years, having moved here because he wanted to try operating his own shop, as compared to previous experiences as a tenant in a canteen or food court. His friend pointed out that people kept coming back to Putri Hayyu because of the cheap and good food. Indeed, the shop was small but evidently well-kept, with evident attention being paid to the shop’s decor. Mr Mustafa told us that he spends a good sum of money to keep the shop well-maintained.
When speaking of Parklane, Mr Mustafa shrugged and told us that business here was simply not comparable to more crowded shopping districts. He seemed resigned when he spoke of Parklane’s dual nature as a quiet mall by day and a more shady establishment at night. He told us of the fights going on in the nightclubs almost every night, and how the police would use to come by all the time to make sure that nothing got serious. His customer base mostly consists of students. When a possible renovation of Parklane was brought up, he looked wistful but remarked frankly that he did not have money on hand to pay for it. He had considered moving into the neighbouring mall POMO, but the turnover rate for businesses there was much higher- 1 year at most. Also, the rent in POMO was much higher, so he would have to charge customers more as well.
However, he speaks of his business here in Parklane with pride. He tells us that he is known as one of the longest standing vendors, and that previous occupants had never been able to keep their businesses for longer than a year. It’s evident to us that Mr Mustafa is comfortable here in Parklane, and has made friends here too- further establishing himself as a reputable vendor.
