SINGAPORE – After almost a year of renovations, The Lo & Behold Group’s hotly anticipated new lifestyle development housing local brands, New Bahru, is opening in June.
The F&B and retail category in particular, stipulated by the Urban Redevelopment Authority to take up no more than 30 per cent of the space, was oversubscribed. Several proposals were workshopped to encourage brands to “dream a bit bigger” and offer more than the traditional mall outlet in terms of design or experience, she adds.
It adds up to a very expensive day. How does TLBG respond to criticism that New Bahru caters only to a certain demographic? Already, collaborations among tenants abound. At Alma House, Omno amenities are stocked in the bathrooms, while coffee from tech start-up Morning, which has designed its own range of coffee machines and capsules, will be served in the lobby lounge to the apartment’s guests.This kampung spirit is probably New Bahru’s biggest draw – and what many tenants tell ST they are most looking forward to.
“But it happened organically in these cities, where design and creativity is celebrated,” says Ms Chan. “We’re trying to intentionally curate. Our hope is that for every tourist, this will be a must-visit pit stop to explore the creative scene.” Beyond being a tourist destination, Ms Chan believes New Bahru will be able to pull steady foot traffic, for instance, through its wellness and enrichment concepts, as well as Alma House and after-school care provider Thrive.
“It’s easy to compare us with a mall, but what we hope people can take away is that dining or shopping here is a vote of confidence for Singapore.”Located in River Valley, the new venture by The Lo & Behold Group features only Singapore and Singapore-based brands. It opens its doors to the public on June 22 and 23 for its Sneak Peek open house event.Soilboy, a minimalist plant and ceramics design studio.
Soilboy imports species from countries such as Japan, Madagascar and South Korea – the plants are acclimated in a greenhouse before being put up for sale. Prices for a potted plant range from $59 to $3,999. Customers can also bring their plants for consultations and after-care . The shop was relocated from its previous studio at the National Design Centre. It accommodates up to 25 people, more than double the capacity of its stores in Raffles City and Great World.The Make Experience lets participants custom-make a pleated bag, choosing from a range of pleat patterns, colours and accessories before hand-pleating and steaming the final product.
Founder Raymond Tan, a former military regular, ventured into leather crafting when he lost his wallet in 2014. Unable to find another in the exact dimensions, the 33-year-old decided to make his own. The Coconut Club’s managing partner Daniel Sia is most looking forward to the “kampung spirit” at New Bahru. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
The resulting capsule collection includes a limited-edition Kelab Kelapa Camp Collar Shirt and a gift set consisting of napkins, glassware and TCC’s housemade sambal and gula jam.Mr Sia says: “This kampung spirit is something you won’t get in a mall, where it’s all big brands. Here you actually get to see the owners and that’s a very nice feeling of community.”At the coffee tech start-up’s first physical store, you can try coffees straight from its capsule coffee machines.
The serial entrepreneur behind coffee roaster PPP Coffee – which will also have a cafe unit at New Bahru – and Chye Seng Huat Hardware founded Morning to help coffee nerds easily enjoy cafe-quality brews at home, and to showcase speciality roasters from around the world.New Bahru ticked all the boxes in his search for a retail space “not in a mass mall”, says Mr Foo, 42.
Its bestsellers are bodycare products such as shampoo and body cleansers . Omno also sells body scrubs and oils , and home scents such as candles .