Iconic haberdashery still sells '10-cent items'

Sin Hin Chuan Kee, a family-run shop that sells sewing materials, has been around for nearly half a century and today supplies ribbons to big brand names like Tatler, HBO and Mastercard.

Now run by the third-generation descendants of founder Ng Koon Teng, it stocks more than 8,000 products, and boasts loyal clients and families who have patronised the shop for generations.

When The Straits Times visited the North Bridge Road outlet yesterday, eight members of the family bustled about, enthusiastically sharing their experiences with visitors.

The youngest is the founder's grandson Kenny Ng, 42. The oldest is Mr Ng Cheow Kok, 78, the founder's eldest son.

Yesterday, the National Heritage Board unveiled a "mini-museum" in front of the haberdashery, a glass cabinet containing several items that tell the shop's story, as part of efforts to create unexpected heritage encounters for those in the area.

Among the objects on display are the Japanese brand of YKK zippers, of which Sin Hin Chuan Kee is the sole distributor in Singapore, and the Flying Wheel sewing thread from China that it is known for.

Both had been sourced by Mr Ng Koon Teng on his trips around Asia in the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr Kenny Ng said: "We might not produce your clothes directly but we have a hand in what you wear. The elastic bands of your mask might be from us. There is a 70 per cent chance that your clothes have YKK zips. Buttons, lanyards, that's what we do."

He added: "Don't ask me how we keep track of our stock. We have so many buttons alone and we have the widest range of ribbons for packaging.

"We tell those who come here looking for items that even if we don't have what you are looking for, give us two weeks and we will find it for you."

Sin Hin Chuan Kee moved to Kampong Glam after Clyde Street, where its first shop was located, underwent redevelopment in the 1970s.

Mr Ng Koon Teng was an immigrant from Quanzhou, China, and saw his business boom in part due to the import and export opportunities that Singapore enjoyed as a trading hub.

He died in 2005, aged 79.

Since the 2000s, the younger owners have established an online storefront. Where previously bicycles were used for deliveries, today Grab cars are used.

Mr Kenny Ng said: "We have had to change but we continue to sell what we call 10-cent items, small things that don't give us much of a profit, because they are important to customers.

"My aunts can tell you how grandmothers would bring their daughters and granddaughters to the shop together. We have grown together with our customers."