At least seven of them, mainly provision shops and mini-marts, have surfaced in Clementi, Boon Lay and Jurong East over the past two years.
On sale are Myanmar fare such as pickled tea leaves, preserved fruit jam and Myanmar noodles.
Ms Aye Aye, 29, opened Kaung Zone mini-mart in Clementi in 2006 after noticing that the area was home to Myanmar students from the nearby Singapore Polytechnic and the National University of Singapore. 'Most of them come here to buy phone cards every week to call their loved ones at home,' she said.
Like other shops catering to the community, she offers a faxing service for those who want to send documents home.
These neighbourhood shops are welcomed by the community, whose members usually have to make their way to Peninsula Plaza in North Bridge Road. That is another hub for Myanmar nationals, with over 100 shops there catering to them.
NUS postgraduate student Kyaw Swar, 27, shops at a mini-mart two blocks away from his three-room HDB flat. He said: 'It's so convenient to buy my daily essentials here. I head to Peninsula Plaza for that weekly big shopping trip.'