Can Singapore’s heritage businesses survive the next generation?
Can Singapore’s heritage businesses survive the next generation?
At Far East Plaza, ANA Book Store remains defiantly analog. But with no successor, Mr Noorul Islam knows the final chapter may come when he retires.
Cathay Photo has embraced change. Now run by the founder’s grandchildren, the shop thrives on social media, drawing in a younger crowd.
Such homegrown businesses have garnered renewed attention as efforts are made to preserve them. That being said, they also face the same challenges as other firms, such as rising operational costs and manpower shortages.
Mr Ng Tze Yong, a sixth-generation artisan at Say Tian Hng Buddha Shop, said his grandfather had fortunately decided to buy the unit where their shop is. “If we had to pay rent, we may not survive.”
The transfer of traditional skills is another challenge faced by heritage businesses. Such is the predicament for Mr R Jayaselvam, a flower garland maker who opened Anushia Flower Shop in 1994.
