Singapore celebrates its 48th birthday on Aug 9, and to tie in with this, The Straits Times Photo Desk has put together 48 Singaporean Seconds, an audio-visual tribute to Singaporeans who have made this little red dot their home.

We are releasing their stories and videos in the next few weeks.

In the seventh instalment of our series, we talk to vintage lover, Mr David Wee.

David Wee, 30, vintage wares dealer

You may be forgiven for thinking you have walked into a museum when you step into Mr David Wee's home along Changi Road.

The two-storey terrace house is filled with memorabilia from a bygone era such as 1970s pencil-leg furniture, drinking glasses sporting the logos of defunct soft-drinks companies, and hand-painted enamel trays.

Mr Wee, 30, left his job as a constituency manager for the People's Association about a year ago to go into the vintage-wares trade full-time. He now runs his business from home, selling and buying vintage collectibles and renting them out as props.

"I get great satisfaction when I have clients showing me pictures of the items they bought from me and how these blend into their homes," says the bachelor, who began collecting when he was a teenager.

What started as tag-along trips with his father to the thieves' market soon turned into a hobby and now a job. The business-management graduate from Singapore Management University sources his wares from other collectors, trawls flea markets and buys them from overseas.

Many clients of his are "surprisingly young", he says, in their 20s or 30s.

"They want to reclaim some memories of their younger days as they don't get to see such items anymore," he says.

"I'm in the business of selling and buying memories."

Photos and videos by The Straits Times Picture Desk