Chinatown pottery studio MIT Artspace shutters abruptly; customers left without art pieces
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Some MIT Artspace customers expressed frustration over missing or unfired pottery pieces.
PHOTO: MIT ARTSPACE SINGAPORE - POTTERY WORKSHOP/GOOGLE MAPS
- MIT Artspace, a pottery studio in Chinatown, closed suddenly after eight months, leaving customers unable to collect unglazed or unfired pottery pieces.
- Customers expressed shock and frustration over the abrupt closure and missing items, with some lodging complaints with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).
- The studio cited operational and financial difficulties for closure and is processing refunds, while a related bridal company is assisting with outstanding customer issues.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – MIT Artspace, a pottery studio in Chinatown, shuttered abruptly after eight months of business, leaving customers with unglazed and unfired pieces or unable to collect their pieces.
The studio, which opened in December 2025, announced its closure on Aug 3 in a WhatsApp message to some customers, instructing them to collect their pieces by Aug 9.
In its message, MIT Artspace said it is closing permanently and will be vacating its premises at 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace.
“As we are required to hand over the unit, all ready pottery (including glazed and unfired pieces) has been made available for self-collection any time until Aug 9,” it said.
It added that it was not able to individually pack all items due to the urgent closure. “We kindly ask that you identify and collect your pottery during this period,” it said.
The WhatsApp message was posted on a TikTok video on Aug 22 by a customer, who told The Straits Times that she wanted to be known only as Nicole.
Nicole told ST that she collected her pieces the same day she received the message – on Aug 3.
“I was shocked to see all the pieces lying outside unattended. Some on the floor were wrapped in plastic, while some were on tables and shelves,” she said, adding that she had to scour through the many pottery pieces to locate hers.
Other customers, like 32-year-old Clara, found out about the studio’s closure only through Nicole’s TikTok video.
Clara, who declined to reveal her full name, told ST that she had done a pottery session at the studio in May, accompanied by her husband, to celebrate her first Mother’s Day. Her husband had made a trinket tray featuring a mother cat and her baby, to signify Clara and their child.
When Clara went down to the studio on Aug 23, the venue was “cleared out”, with the trinket tray nowhere to be found.
Another customer, who was also not informed by MIT Artspace about its closure, told ST she was upset over the turn of events, and has lodged a complaint with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).
She declined to be named but said she and a friend had forked out $91 to make a bowl and a plate. They have both been unable to collect their art pieces, as they found out about the closure only after the Aug 9 deadline given by MIT Artspace.
She is also contemplating making a police report. “I have managed to gather about 25 other people who are... in the same boat as me,” she said.
In response to a media query, CASE president Melvin Yong said CASE received two complaints against MIT Artspace between Aug 1 and 23.
“Consumers reported that they had attended a pottery workshop with the business but were unable to collect their pottery pieces or found that their pottery pieces were not glazed or fired, following announcements that the business was closing,” he said in a statement.
He added that CASE is assisting affected consumers. Those who require assistance may contact CASE by phone on 6277-5100 or visit www.case.org.sg, he said.
On Aug 24, customers received a message from the number previously belonging to MIT Artspace saying that the number now belongs to a bridal shop.
The bridal company, Eternal Red Bonds, which specialises in Chinese weddings, told ST: “Following MIT’s closure, we are assisting with the review and resolution of outstanding customer matters on a case-by-case basis.”
Eternal Red Bonds and MIT Artspace are both registered under event organiser company Double N.
When contacted, Eternal Red Bonds declined to answer queries on behalf of MIT Artspace.
ST has not been able to find contact details for MIT Artspace and Double N.
According to a Stomp report, a spokesperson for MIT Artspace confirmed that the studio ceased operations on Aug 8. The person cited operational and financial challenges, as well as issues with the studio’s premises – such as ceiling damage – which contributed to the closure.
“We understand the concerns raised by customers regarding their pieces and regret the inconvenience caused during this process,” the spokesperson said, adding that the studio is currently processing refunds for affected customers.
Meanwhile, another arts and crafts company located in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, also known as MIT Artspace and which shares the same logo as the one used by the now-shuttered business in Singapore, told ST that the two businesses do not share the same owner.
It said it has received messages from disgruntled customers from the Singapore branch but that it does not know who owned the Singapore outlet.
