November 15, 2019, 02:00 AM
Long-time CD shop Foo Leong Records located in Chinatown Complex Centre will be closing by the end of November 2019.
Photo by Mario Ong/Facebook.
Demise of an iconic traditional record shop
The 79-year-old shop owner, Wong Nam Thye, said she has always wanted to keep the shop going as she enjoys chatting with neighbours and old customers despite making losses in recent years.
However, the old record shop has met its end after 54 years in business.
It's definitely not an easy decision to make for Wong as she told the Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao that she has built the shop from scratch and she could not bear to close it.
The shop was named after her son, which means "prosperity and good nature".
She added that the shop is her labour of love just like her child.
Besides feeling sad about the shop's closure, Wong also shared that she felt guilty towards her son who had spent much of his time after serving his National Service by helping out at the shop.
As a result, he could not gain much work experience and has faced difficulties looking for jobs subsequently.
Making losses for the past four years
Her business started out as a roadside stall at Pagoda Street before she moved to a shop space in Chinatown Complex in 1983.
The business was booming in the 1980s, as records were a big source of entertainment then.
However, CD sales at the shop have plunged since the advent of the internet.
She has been making losses over the past four years and she can no longer keep up with the rental fee for the two units that the shop used to occupy.
She even had to pawn gold jewellery from her dowry to pay for the rental fee, which was over S$1,000.
In 2018, she reduced the space by one unit in order to cut down on the rental cost, but it's still not sustainable.
Screenshot of Singapore 新加坡Thomas Giam 嚴平凡/Youtube.
Clearance sale
In order to clear the stock at the shop, Wong has reduced the prices of the CDs.
Prices have been cut from S$10 to S$2 for each CD, since two weeks ago.
She is considering selling the remaining stock off with a one-for-one promotion.
The promotion has drawn some hobbyists to purchase CDs and cassettes as collectibles.
Knowing about the closure, many customers have also come to the shop to reminisce the good old times with Wong.
Top photo: screengrabs from irememberSG and Singapore 新加坡Thomas Giam 嚴平凡 videos
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