The Corner Shop is more than a quaint boutique in Singapore’s Far East Plaza. It’s a time portal to the neon-drenched days of the ’80s, a treasure trove of nostalgic memorabilia, alongside a carefully curated collection of contemporary clothing.

Affectionately known as “Zha Huo Dian”, meaning “convenience store” in Mandarin, it playfully evokes the charm of Singapore’s heartland shops, but with a distinctly elevated twist.

Step inside, and you’re greeted by a cornucopia of curiosities: vintage toys, tchotchkes, posters, and records from the ’80s. A kaleidoscope of color and texture. An ethereal blend of past and present, creating a unique space with a strong brand identity.

It’s the embodiment of the ’80s zeitgeist, a place where you can rediscover the playful spirit and bold individualism of that era. Whether you’re a culture vulture or simply drawn to the nostalgic allure, much like the convenience store it takes after, The Corner Shop will have something for you.

Despite the miscellany, fashion takes centerstage. Since its inception, The Corner Shop has proudly championed brands with an identity as unique as theirs—cult or commercial—handpicking a diverse range of local and international fashion labels.

This boutique started in 2008, is the brainchild of one Jebson Tan.

We’re curious to know the story of The Corner Shop. What motivated you to start it?

I grew up in Chinatown in the 1980s, so a lot of my inspiration for The Corner Shop came from the various shops that I frequented—CD/vinyl stores, barber shops, etc.—as well as the many Hong Kong films that I enjoyed from Stephen Chow, Andy Lau, Wong Kar-wai, and others.

I’ve always been working in merchandising for local brands back in the ’90s, so I took what I learnt back then from my mentors and decided to set out on my own.

I remember being in my late teens seeing The Corner Shop for the first time and it was hard to put into words at the time how it felt. It was the coolest place I’ve ever been to. It was a boutique but it also felt like a museum.

What inspired that vision, the vision to strike nostalgia and contemporary fashion? Especially at a time when vintage fashion wasn’t yet mainstream in Singapore.

It was the streets and shopping districts of Amerikamura in Osaka that had motivated most of my inspiration for both style and clothing. I wanted to emulate the nostalgic feeling that I had experienced shopping in those stores, coupled with great customer service.

Amerikamura in the ’90s was a lively and bustling shopping district, the overall energy and enthusiasm of the shop owners was an eye-opener for me, as it was my first time being served with such attention and care for my shopping experience.

The fusion of American pop culture with Japanese influences was extremely apparent in all the stores that I visited. Vintage or not, every store was different but consistent in their service. I was captivated by their attention to detail of the aesthetics of every store I visited.

Personally, I’d choose Osaka’s Amerikamura over Tokyo’s Harajuku any day.

What were the challenges in The Corner Shop’s earliest years?

As the store was a passion project of mine, I didn’t set out to make money. My priority was always to introduce new styles in innovative ways through the store’s visual merchandising and service. I wanted customers to step into the store, and feel motivated to experiment with different silhouettes, colors and prints.

For a store as unique as The Corner Shop, I made it a point to curate apparel according to what I thought would suit the shop’s image more. Hence, the products that I sold did not always suit the palate of the general public.

The hardest part was curating a good balance of items and brands that are both in line with the shop’s branding and the taste of the masses.

When did The Corner Shop foray into designing its own apparel?

In 2018 with a brand named “Lucky Hand” that was started with two other friends who have now gone on to other endeavours.

The brand was graphic-focused, with designs showcasing key cultural events and references, all with heavy oriental influence. It was meant to be an extension of The Corner Shop’s image, and it was received extremely well by customers.

Since then, we’ve focused more on collaborations with local brands of various industries, most notably Carlsberg, Laughing Tiger, and the most recent, with you guys [SNKRDUNK]! For now, we’re working on relaunching a new season, and a total rebrand of “Lucky Hand”. Stay tuned for that!

People change and trends have come and gone in the last 15 years, but the brand’s maintained its unique identity. Who did you envision the brand’s core audience to be when you started in 2008, and has that audience changed since?

Honestly, I had no vision as to who my target audience was going to be. My first few customers were walk-in customers who turned into regulars in the long-run.

Strangely enough, a lot of them were also a part of the creative industry with unique personalities that overtime became good friends of mine. Now, a lot of my customers have been tourists. In fact, more tourists shop at the store compared to locals in recent times.

It seems so apt but was it intentional to have The Corner Shop to be at the corner of the third floor at Far East Plaza? To literally be a corner shop.

Previously the unit #03-16 belonged to LeftFoot before they moved to Orchard Cineleisure. When I took over, the concept of a convenience shop for a multi-label store intrigued me as it would strengthen my curation.

The flexible concept strengthened the idea of selling various products of different categories (ranging from men’s grooming products to novelty items), especially during festive occasions. This fell in line with the image that I was trying to create, hence the name “杂货店” (Zha Huo Dian), a direct translation of a convenience store in mandarin.

But yes, the name “The Corner Shop” was only chosen as the English name as we were located at the corner.

The Corner Shop is like the manifestation of someone’s good taste (which I assume to be yours!), what’re some of the things in the store that you’re most proud of?

Tough question, because I’m proud of everything that I have in the store. But if I had to pick, it would be my collection of CDs, cassettes and vinyls that were bought and kept from my youth till now.

The store is like a time capsule, carrying memorabilia from the ‘80s: posters, toys, and vinyls. There’s Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, ET, and Michael Keaton’s Batman, out of a long list of others. What’s the thought process in the curation of these items?

Honestly, it was because I had collected so many to the point where there was no more space at my house [laughs].

But these were significant pieces of pop-culture from the ’80s that had played a huge role in my creative life as I was growing up in Chinatown. I thought it had fallen in line with the overall concept and theme that I was trying to create: nostalgia.

Similarly, is there a process in choosing which brands you want to carry in the store? From Pleasures, #FR2, to Graye Studio and other regional brands.

Back then when I first brought in Pleasures, it was relatively still quite a cult brand. Only big fans of streetwear and members of the skate and music scene were well-versed with it. So carrying it fell in line with my goal of introducing cool and interesting brands that also fell in line with my branding (Pleasures did many collabs with grunge/indie bands from the ’80s and ’90s. Thus, nostalgia)

The commercial aspect brought in brands like Graye Studio and various workwear/functional brands that provided my customers with more wearable options for day-to-day life.

Your inline apparel is imbued with the design language of the ‘80s so impeccably, what inspired it?

If you can’t tell already, I’m a huge fan of the ’80s pop culture scene. Influences from both Western and Asian movies, fashion, media and music from that era was ingrained deeply in my creative journey. Hence, it made sense to have that present in the apparel that would be part of my brand.

Old Singapore and oriental motifs traverse through most of your offerings, and there’s the “Dragon Lady”. How did she evolve into becoming the brand’s mascot?

The lady has always been used as an icon/mascot of The Corner Shop. What started as a simple design for my online website in earlier years, became a symbol that represents the oriental nature of The Corner Shop.

She was designed with reference to singers from Shanghai, reimagined with the elegance of the 1940s to ’50s in mind.

Even the people who wear clothes from The Corner Shop have a certain aesthetic. How would you describe that look in your own words? It’s definitely cool, but what do you think defines it?

At its core, it could be Japanese Americana. The look itself is timeless and it does look great regardless of gender and age, in my humble opinion.

At the same time, we do combine a lot of graphic pieces with workwear pieces that are more detail and silhouette-focused.

From loud and colourful patchwork shirts/jackets with detailed embroidery of designs to more simple bottoms with functional pockets, I would say The Corner Shop style is the happy marriage between eye-catching pieces and utilitarian fashion.

Your location at Far East Plaza used to be Singapore’s street culture hub, sharing the building with streetwear and sneaker stores. But over the years, they’ve since relocated. The Corner Shop remains as the “last man standing”. What made you stay?

As I mentioned, nostalgia is the main character that fuels my motivations for everything that I do for my brand. Far East Plaza was where I spent a majority of my time at, I opened my first store here at 23. Along with many others who were youths in the ’90s, Far East Plaza was the place to be at that time and it’s what kept me here all these years.

What are the elements that contribute the most to the brand’s longevity?

It would most definitely be our authenticity and commitment to both the oriental and localised branding coupled with consistent customer service.

What’s next for The Corner Shop?

Look forward to our exciting collaboration with SNKRDUNK and our re-launch of Lucky Hand! Stay tuned as well for future collaborations with The Corner Shop.

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SNKRDUNK x The Corner Shop (杂货店) “The Dragon Lady” T-Shirt Launch

The SNKRDUNK x The Corner Shop (杂货店) “The Dragon Lady” Tee will launch on 18 January exclusively at SNKRDUNK’s flagship store at Mandarin Gallery in Singapore. The tees will be available in White, Black, and Green, and will retail at S$60 per piece. Stocks are limited, so hurry down to secure yours before they’re all gone!

SNKRDUNK
333A Orchard Rd
#01-09B Mandarin Gallery
Singapore 238897

Opening Hours:
11:30AM–9:30PM (SGT), Mon–Thurs
11:00AM–9.30PM (SGT), Fri–Sun

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The Corner Shop
14 Scotts Road
Far East Plaza #03-16, Singapore 228213
Singapore 238897

Opening Hours:
12:30PM-8PM (SGT), Mon–Fri, Sun
12:30PM-8:30PM (SGT), Sat

https://www.the-corner.shop/

@zhahuodian.sg

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