Some Chinatown businesses see boost in sales with rejuvenation of iconic Smith Street

CNA

19-05-2025

SINGAPORE: Some local businesses in Chinatown are enjoying a boost in sales - of up to 40 per cent - with the rejuvenation of the iconic Smith Street and a tie-up with the refreshed Chinatown Heritage Centre.
Smith Street, located in the Chinatown conservation area, is undergoing a facelift to inject vibrancy and drive greater footfall. More tenants are currently renovating their spaces and will be opening within the next few months.
But shop owners told CNA that various challenges remain with rising rental and labour shortage.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
Elegance of Nanyang, which sells and rents out kebayas, is among the new shops on Smith Street.
Ms Yu Guangning, the boutique's owner and director, said that while she wants to share the local heritage and the art of kebayas with tourists, she faces several challenges including steep rental costs.
'In this location, definitely (rental) is not going to be low. Subsequently, for us, manpower is a challenge. And you need to keep up to have new products, attract staff, to really attract tourists to come to Chinatown,' she added.
To help heritage business owners like her, the Chinatown Heritage Centre has in place a series of initiatives to appeal to tourists, including marketing efforts with some of these brands.
'For many of these smaller brands, they may not have the resources or focus as much,' said Cai Yinzhou, executive director of the Chinatown Heritage Centre.
'So we hope to do that with our promotional campaigns with some of these brands and shops, where visitors to our centre with a ticket can enjoy discounts and get subsidised products when they visit these shops.'
Another shop on Smith Street, Killiney Kopitiam, is reaping the fruits of the collaboration.
Since its opening in March, the traditional coffee shop has seen a 40 per cent rise in sales.
Mr Henry Oh, general manager of Killiney International, said: 'By participating in their programmes, we get the community and the tourists to know that we are actually here.'
ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS
The business owners are also working closely with the Chinatown Business Association, and have urged other heritage shops to do the same.
Ms Yu said: 'They organise some workshops for us, to basically let us have a better understanding of the current status of Chinatown as well as to give us some training in social media programmes - so that we are not doing only in the retail shop, but we can also do something online to really make Smith Street popular.'
Mr Oh added: 'Heritage is something that if you don't preserve, once you lose it, you lose it forever. So it's very important that we preserve our history and our heritage.'
The association told CNA that its aim is for Smith Street to serve as the 'cultural heart' of Chinatown, 'where culinary delights, art and experiences converge, offering visitors a diverse cultural dining and experience in a setting that inspires joy and excitement'.
Ms Lim Yick Suan, executive director of Chinatown Business Association, said one of its key roles is to promote the interests of its community stakeholders, including heritage businesses.
For instance, it often encourages collaborations between traditional businesses and newer entrants to attract customers, she said.
'We actively work to support these businesses by promoting collaborations, encouraging footfall through events and experiences, and connecting them with relevant partners and resources to stay competitive,' she added.