The Straits Times, Feb 15, 1998 By Elizabeth Gwee KATONG SHOPPING CENTRE: Open since 1973, it used to be known for its many textile shops that have now been reduced to a mere handful. Better known today for the renovation firms, computer software and clothes shops there. Renovated last year. THEY are the shopping centres that time has forgotten. When Katong Shopping Centre, City Plaza, Beauty World and Bukit Timah Shopping Centre and others of their generation were built in the late '70s and early '80s, crowds swarmed to them like bees to a honeypot. What waited in store for these curious crowds was a new and exciting experience of shopping in a cool, air-conditioned multi-storey complex, which boasted floor after floor of shops selling affordable clothes and household items. Said retired nurse Irene Yap, 68: "When Bukit Timah Shopping Centre first opened in 1978, my family would find every excuse to go there on weekends. What we liked was how big it seemed, and the air-con. There were so many things to look at, though not necessarily to buy." Certainly, where such shopping centres were once filled with Singaporeans whiling away a lazy Sunday afternoon, the same can hardly be said about them these days. Pay a visit to any of these older malls, on weekdays or weekends, and you will find a slow and sporadic stream of people making their way into the building. Few are there to browse; most knowing exactly what they want to buy, and get out as soon as they do. Because, unlike the brand new malls around Singapore, there is nothing about these older shopping centres that entices people to hang around and soak up the atmosphere. It is the norm these days for newer shopping centres to have several fast-food chains, a food court, brand-name boutiques, pharmacies like Guardian Pharmacy and Watsons, and a cineplex. Most older shopping centres, on the other hand, have a limited number of shops. In fact, a good number of them seem to be occupied mainly by renovation companies and foreign-maid agencies. Most renovation company owners say they chose to set up shop in places like Bukit Timah Shopping Centre because these shopping centres have become established as "renovation centres", what with the large number of such businesses there. They add that rent is fairly affordable there. The rest of the shops, usually selling clothes, computer software and sports equipment, are small and uninspiring. As housewife Ivy Lum, 31, who was shopping at Beauty World, put it: "This is where I come to get mundane household items, like cheap towels or plastic bowls and plates. "If I want to do some real shopping, like for clothes or gifts, I go to Orchard Road. The selection is bigger and better, and the atmosphere is a lot livelier. You feel like hanging around, whereas in such old shopping centres, you have no desire to." However, regulars of the older shopping centres like retired secretary Mrs Tan Mei Sze, 55, cannot imagine life without their old shopping haunts. The Katong resident has been shopping at Katong Shopping Centre since it first opened in 1973. "More could be done to spruce up the building, but I don't really mind it being so old because it's become so much a part of my life. "And it's not like the new shopping centres -- so many bright lights, loud music, and so many people. It's so much easier to persuade my husband to shop with me in a more relaxed laid-back place like this." Right mix of shops a must, to draw crowds SAID Mrs Lynda Chong, head of retail management at Temasek Polytechnic's School of Business: "The success of a shopping centre is that it must draw people in, so you must fill the mall with the right shops. Many of the older ones seem to suffer because they do not have the right mix of shops." Even Mr Sebastian Fook, chairman of the management corporation of Katong Shopping Centre, agreed. "Many of the shops here are involved with renovation services," he said, "but even if their business is good, it does not help the overall well-being of the shopping centre because the nature of their business does not pull in the crowds." While it is easy theoretically to decide on the right mix of shops that will bring in the crowds, it is not that easy to carry out in reality - especially in shopping centres that are strata-titled, like Katong Shopping Centre and Bukit Timah Plaza. These two shopping centres are co-owned by a large group of people, who own a number of shop spaces and lease it out to their own tenants. Few shop owners are bothered by who their tenants are, as long as they are paid their rent. Said Mrs Chong: "What results is a selection of shops that very often do not complement one another at all, and which does not help at all in building an identity for the shopping centre." Bleak future MANY shop tenants agree that as times are getting worse, their future looks especially bleak. Shop tenants in shopping centres like Katong Shopping Centre, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre and Beauty World say that business is down by at least 20 per cent compared to five years ago, and look set to go down even more. Most rely on regulars to come to their shops, like Mr Tony Alcantara, who has been running Lucky Rise Trading, a shop selling religious items, for more than 10 years at Katong Shopping Centre. "Most of the people who come to this shopping centre are regulars who have built a relationship with us over the years," he said. "They are mainly bargain hunters who want to stretch their dollar. "But if they want to go window shopping, they are more likely to go to Orchard Road, where there's a better variety of things for them to look at." Still, some shoppers see the small variety of goods on offer as part of the shopping centres' appeal. Housewife Diana Leong, a regular of Thomson Plaza, said: "The selection might not be that big, but in a way, it's better because you don't have to think too hard about what you should buy and shouldn't." For now, various shopping centre management committees are trying to find ways to upgrade the buildings. Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, for example, underwent a $4-million renovation to change the air-conditioning, the piping and the flooring, while Katong Shopping Centre got a facelift and a whole new coat of paint last year. Thomson Plaza is also slated for upgrading at the end of March next year when DBS Land will refurbish the 150,000 sq ft -- 60 per cent -- of the shopping centre which it owns. Still, Mrs Chong feels a lot more can be done by shopping centre management committees, which she describes as the heart and soul of the place, to promote the shopping centres, like improving the layout and having the right balance between "selling space and non-selling space". "People don't just come to shopping centres to shop. They come to unwind and relax, even to meet friends. "Older shopping centres need to be more conducive for activities like these, with more open spaces and maybe even fountains." She feels that the once bustling shopping centres should capitalise on their own individual histories. "For example, Katong Shopping Centre used to be famous for its textile shops, so why not revert to those good old days? "Who knows, you might not even have to change the look of the shopping centre completely because for many, it will be a wonderful trip down memory lane." Who they are and where BUKIT TIMAH SHOPPING CENTRE Open since 1978 Shop mix: Five floors of mainly renovation contractors and maid agencies. Look out for contractors who are approved by Radac, a non-profit watchdog body for the renovation industry. A sprinkling of clothes shops left over from the days when the shopping centre was well-known among Malaysian tourists for its affordable clothes. Unforgettable for: Dubious advertising by certain maid employment agencies. Everest employment agency declares in a home-made poster: "We have Indonesian Christians eat and handle pork on video and personally screen", and bored staff who congregate in passageways to play cards. BUKIT TIMAH PLAZA Open since 1978 Shop mix: Maid agencies, renovation contractors, the largest NTUC FairPrice supermarket, which occupies the space used previously by Yaohan. Unforgettable for: Computer shops, cheap household goods. BEAUTY WORLD Open since 1983 Shop mix: Goldsmith shops, clothes, shoes, houseware. Unforgettable for: Cheap household items. CITY PLAZA Open since 1981 Shop mix: Clothes shops Unforgettable for: Cheap Hongkong-made fashion, from baby-doll to night-time vamp. A definite destination if you are looking for the perfect Spice Girl outfit. Also notable for the coin-operated massage chairs on the first floor for weary shoppers to be reinvigorated. TANJONG KATONG COMPLEX Open since 1983 Shop mix: 2nd Chance, Golden Chance goldsmith, Toko Lisa department store, Smart supermarket and interior design companies. Unforgettable for: Yokoso, Singapore's first round- the-clock supermarket and department store. Also the first fully air-conditioned shopping complex run by the HDB. KATONG SHOPPING CENTRE Open since 1973 Shop mix: Renovation companies, computer software shops, textile and clothes shops. Unforgettable for: The building's striking blue exterior that is dominated by large holes in the walls, and the many textile shops that have now been reduced to a mere handful. QUEENSWAY SHOPPING CENTRE Open since 1976 Shop mix: Sports equipment shops, photocopiers, engravers and men's tailor shops. Unforgettable for: Sports shops where you get personalised service -- an especially popular service is re-stringing tennis racquets for $20 to $30. However, be prepared to get very lost in the shopping centre's maze-like interior. UNITED SQUARE (known formerly as Goldhill Square) Open since 1982 Shop mix: Cold Storage, Guardian Pharmacy, Watson's, Times The Bookshop, Kids Sports, Philip Wain fitness centre. Unforgettable for: Singapore's first Galeries Lafayette, which later moved to Liat Towers. THOMSON PLAZA Open since 1979 Shop mix: NTUC Fairprice, Popular Book Shop, clothes, sports and gift shops, ballet and computer school for children. Unforgettable for: The now-defunct Yaohan Thomson, a favourite family haunt on weekends; free parking on weekdays until 5 pm. Previous Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.