Old trades, new cafes: Can Jalan Besar keep its charm?

SINGAPORE – At the junction of Jalan Besar Road and Petain Road, Average Service stands out with its brightly coloured cafe furniture on the ground floor of a weathered building that bears the name of a long-defunct company.

Just next door, a hardware trading shop creaks open its rusted metal shutters, while above it, a well-reviewed geomancer practises his craft.

This blend of old and new, sustained by a community hoping to keep its peaceful coexistence a secret, has begun to draw curious visitors.

British media publication Time Out named Jalan Besar Singapore’s coolest neighbourhood for 2026.

Jalan Besar is the neighbourhood’s main artery, but side streets such as Tyrwhitt Road and Allenby Road have developed a quiet buzz as new businesses draw in fresh customers.

One can stroll past long-established hardware dealers and engineering workshops, as well as clan associations, eating houses and entertainment outlets – even funeral homes.

These businesses remain part of the streetscape, coexisting with newer entrants such as cafes, hotels and creative agencies who like Jalan Besar’s “slightly scrappy, unpolished” feel.

Taking Tyrwhitt Road as an example, The Straits Times’ checks found that at least nine of 40 units moved in in the last five years. 

When The Straits Times visited the area on Oct 2, 9 and 24, working professionals, young couples and older residents were running errands, popping into cafes and watching the day go by in coffee shops.

The people are attracted to a neighbourhood that has an energy “somewhere between chaotic and eclectic”, said Corrine Chia, 48, co-founder of craft beer restaurant Druggists at 119 Tyrwhitt Road, which opened in 2015.

She is drawn by this same energy.

“In many malls or precincts, everything is chosen to fit one identity. Here, things just end up next to each other organically, and somehow it works.”

Cheeselads’ co-founder Chloe Lee recalls making an offer in 2022 on her unit at 117 Tyrwhitt Road in 10 minutes, after just seeing the shop – then selling motorbike accessories – from the outside.

The business, which began in May 2020 at a small unit in Kovan offering cheese platter delivery and collection, is now a restaurant, cheese shop and private event space.

“We always wanted a shophouse, because a shophouse means freedom. We can host events when we want, set our own hours, and do whatever weird and wonderful cheese thing we dream up next,” said Lee.

The area’s potential for further growth may draw more investment interest, said property observers.  

Richard Tan, associate branch district director at PropNex Realty, noted that the surrounding residential population is poised to expand with public housing developments on the way.

For now, he has not seen a significant increase in tenant interest, going by the number of shophouse rental contracts signed in the district.

A bicycle mechanic in front of the Chicken Pie VS Crab mural at 43 Tyrwhitt Road.

Murals along Tyrwhitt Road.

ST PHOTOS: BRIAN TEO

Nick Chan, associate director of investment sales and capital markets at Savills Singapore, said a growing number of buildings that used to house traditional businesses have undergone refurbishment that enables them to attract higher-value occupiers like lifestyle operators, speciality retailers or creative businesses.

He also pointed to 90 caveated shophouse transactions in the wider Jalan Besar precinct between 2023 and 2025 as signs of investor interest in the area’s heritage assets.

These transactions have gradually brought in a new generation of tenants and entrepreneurs, creating a virtuous circle that enhanced the precinct’s appeal, he said.

Worries of over-gentrification

The neighbourhood’s character comes from how the new businesses and functions have layered onto existing ones, said Calvin Chua, associate professor of practice, architecture and sustainable design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

Chan said Jalan Besar feels more authentic than master-planned lifestyle precincts, as its rejuvenation has been through adaptive reuse.

But some older shop owners feel the balance between old and new has skewed away from them, and lament the closure of their peers.

Albert Ng, the 72-year-old second-generation owner of Sing Lee Machinery & Trading, worries that with Jalan Besar becoming saturated with F&B outlets and pubs, the customer mix has changed.

Sales engineer Ee Yuan Swee, who works for an automotive electrical parts supplier that has been anchored in Jalan Besar for more than six decades, has seen similar shops fold or relocate to industrial hubs like Kaki Bukit and Toh Guan since 2000. 

“We did not mind the competition back then because this area was a go-to hub for automotive shops,” said Ee, 51. “The mix is different now, but our loyal, old customers still sustain us.” 

Other familiar parts of the neighbourhood have also slipped into history.

Jalan Besar GRC MP Denise Phua noted that the Sungei Road flea market is no longer around – the market once famous for second-hand knick-knacks and antiques closed in 2017.

“Some welcome that, while others miss its old charm and mess,” she said. 

The district’s appeal is its more rustic feel, and new residents who move in expecting the sleek feel of a new housing estate will need to get used to it, she added.

Chua said that while some old businesses have been replaced, the neighbourhood has not tipped into over-gentrification.

But this may be inevitable with time if the industrial shops call it a day.

Freddie Tan, the second-generation owner of Central Engineering, said he has seen many hardware shops close because of generational retirement.

His father founded the firm in 1967, and Tan, 51, helps him with the business.

He misses the older Jalan Besar, one that was “simpler and quieter at night”, he said, pointing to the bars and pubs that have sprung up.

Some tenants have tried to weave in reminders of the past.

When Leon Foo opened Chye Seng Huat Hardware in Tyrwhitt Road in August 2012, he wanted to pay tribute to the building’s history and the neighbourhood’s industrial heritage. The name Chye Seng Huat loosely translates to “flourish again”.

The building, previously occupied by hardware and metal-related businesses, now houses Foo’s coffee business.

“There is something beautiful about allowing a building to have a second life without erasing its past”, said Foo. “In many ways, that philosophy reflects what Jalan Besar is today.”

Down the road, Druggists’ co-founder Chia took inspiration from the Singapore Chinese Druggists Association, which owns the unit she occupies.

The association still holds its activities there. “We attend their TCM talks and share their stories, and they book our space for their gatherings,” said Chia. 

The association of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and manufacturers’ roots go back to 1940.

ST PHOTOS: BRIAN TEO

Druggists retained the floor tiles, doors, windows and plaques from the association, which still holds its activities there.

Druggists‘ team spent months in its early years piecing together the history of the association and its building.

Her team also spent months in its early years going through hand-drawn blueprints drafted in 1929, artefacts and archives to piece together the history of the association and its building, which is now told through placards displayed in the restaurant.

Building a ‘kampung spirit’

Not every heritage business is hesitant about the area’s transformation, and some are hoping to work with fresh blood to reinvigorate themselves.

Tony Ting, the 70-year-old second generation owner of Swee Choon Tim Sum that has been at Jalan Besar since 1962, welcomes the arrival of more eateries, hotels, and other businesses, which has brought in more foot traffic.

“Jalan Besar has undergone significant changes over the years, yet its enduring charm has always stemmed from its people, its shops, and its vibrant, everyday atmosphere,” Ting said.

The community in Jalan Besar is unique as old companies and new brands work together, business owners told ST.

Said Druggists’ Chia: “It’s the kind of street where, if a neighbour is abruptly closed for the day, someone sends a message to check if they’re alright.”

Lee said Central Engineering, which is closed on Sundays, lends the space outside its shop for Cheeselads’ occasional Sunday markets.

“In Jalan Besar, your neighbours aren’t your competition. By collaborating, everyone wins,” said Lee. 

This “kampung spirit” is evident in a Jalan Besar map of shops initiated by Padit in 2025.

“That mentality, ‘your customer can become my customer, and my customer can become yours’, is what can make a precinct stronger,” he said.

Towner Crest resident Natalie Aw has grown to appreciate the community since moving into her Build-to-Order flat 10 minutes away about two years ago.

She can do everything in the area, she said – eat, exercise, shop and chill. The brand manager enjoyed a beer at Druggists while her husband swam at Jalan Besar Swimming Complex on Oct 9.

The same goes for financial advisor Alvin Neo, 32, who drives his maltipoo to dog school in Jalan Besar weekly and explores the different cafes while waiting.

Balancing character and commercial success

As footfall increases, some business owners are worried that the “cool” label might drive up rent and property prices.

Some, like Padit, said that the rent has been “competitive” compared with other prime areas.

“The question is how we allow a neighbourhood to evolve without pricing out the independent and long-standing businesses that helped give it its character in the first place,” he said.

PropNex’s Tan said Jalan Besar serves a different tenant market compared with established shophouse precincts such as Tanjong Pagar in the Central Business District, and Chinatown, a tourist attraction.

It appeals to them with its distinctive character and community feel, and offers “relatively better rental value”, he added.

URA REALIS rental data shows that the median monthly rental for shophouses along Jalan Besar Road was $5.63 per square foot (psf) in the third quarter of 2026, compared with $8.47 psf along Tanjong Pagar Road.

Tan caveated that shophouse tenancies can differ in scope and configuration, including in Jalan Besar, which leads to wide variations in rent.

For now, Jalan Besar seems to be going under the radar, though residents like Aw hope that the neighbourhood does not get branded a tourist hot spot on social media.

“What if many tour buses start coming here for tourists to take quick photos? It will be quite noisy,” she said. “But they can come for walking tours to slowly explore and appreciate the area.”

Savills’ Chan cautioned that many successful lifestyle precincts face challenges in balancing authenticity with commercial success.

The conserved shophouse architecture, small-unit ownership structure and diverse tenant ecosystem should remain, he said, as these attributes create authenticity and provide opportunities for independent businesses that may struggle in larger institutional developments.

SUTD’s Chua added: “Once the trades leave, the creative businesses tend to follow because they lose the qualities of the neighbourhood that drew them there.”

Recent community-led events in Jalan Besar have received government support through Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), which co-curates experiences and spaces with partners.

These include a street festival in 2025 and a more recent “coffee-clubbing” event that involved Cheeselads, Druggists and Swee Choon.

Jeannie Lim, EnterpriseSG’s assistant managing director (services and growth enterprises), said the agency does not dictate a precinct’s identity, as its role is to support businesses to build capabilities and connect them with partners and resources.

“As consumer preferences evolve, the challenge is in helping existing businesses stay relevant while making room for fresh ideas and experiences.”

Savills’ Chan said the most successful districts are not those that change completely, but those that continuously improve through upgrades such as pedestrian connectivity while preserving their underlying character. 

“Jalan Besar appears to be at that stage of its evolution.”

ST Photos and videos: Brian Teo

Produced by: Chin Soo Fang, Goh Yan Han, Matthew Hui and Stephanie Yeow