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We’ve lost heritage icons in the past. What made Thambi at Holland Village so different?

The iconic magazine store along Lorong Liput survived over 80 years. But the outpouring of grief when Thambi's owner, Sam, said he was shuttering hinted at a deeper significance to the newsstand's existence. CNA Lifestyle gets to the crux of what made Thambi special to Singaporeans.

We’ve lost heritage icons in the past. What made Thambi at Holland Village so different?
Sam arranging his display at Thambi Magazine Store at Holland Village on May 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Iskandar Rossali)
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Growing up in Singapore means becoming well-acquainted with change – and with loss. I have revisited the five stages of grief more than enough times, particularly in the last decade, to know that the battle between heritage and modernisation is often won by the latter.

The writing was occasionally on the wall. Music giant HMV, whose last outlet closed in 2015, used to be one of the coolest places to be spotted. But even its extensive retail offerings were no match for streaming. 

Other losses were harder to stomach. I, for one, still bear a grudge against mixed development, KAP Residences, for replacing the King Albert Park McDonald’s outlet in 2014. The popular hangout along Bukit Timah Road was a regular spot for my family in the 90s, and then as I grew older, for me and my polytechnic classmates.

In a country where land is scarce, there will always be closures, redevelopments and relocations. But while those affected might grieve the disappearance or revamp of a favourite landmark, change is often directed at corporations: The old National Library was torn down to build ... a tunnel. Jurong Entertainment Centre (better known as JEC to Westies) made way for now-defunct JCube. And Bukit Timah Food Centre is set to be demolished later this year for an “integrated development”.

The closure of Thambi Magazine Store at Holland Village, however, hit different.

NOT JUST A CASUALTY OF MODERNISATION

When the owner, Sam, told me that he would be shuttering his family business on Sunday (May 5) merely three days prior, the overwhelming outpouring of shock and sadness from the public pointed to a deeper sentiment than the standard mourning of heritage lost.

Several netizens highlighted that while Thambi was legendary and well-loved, when was the last time any of us bought a print magazine, not just from vendors like Sam? If we want to preserve heritage icons, then we should put our money where our mouth is, rather than mourn its imminent death when it’s too late. 

But Thambi was more than another “inevitable” casualty of modernisation. It wasn’t just a cultural icon or beloved neighbourhood haunt either.

Its then-impending closure felt personal – and it’s not just because I am a magazine lover, grew up frequenting Holland Village, or have spent time browsing and buying from Thambi’s impressive range of magazines.

Hours before Singapore learnt that Sam would close his three-generation family business that had been around since the 1940s, I sat in his non-air-conditioned shop conducting the interview that would bring countless customers across the island over the next three days. Both of us fought humidity and tears.

Up till that moment, I’d considered any progress and modernisation necessary for a small nation to stay competitive and relevant. I may not always be a fan of change, but I could appreciate its economic purposes.

To my knowledge, however, Sam hadn’t been chased out by the digital revolution or dwindling customers – common problems that plague analogue businesses like his – even though things could be better compared with Thambi’s heyday when it stocked over 7,000 titles.

Sam was leaving mainly because he was instructed to reduce his display size, which would have effectively killed what he believed was the heart of buying and enjoying magazines: Serendipitous exposure to an eye-catching title while passing by, and the freedom to stop and browse.

Sam thanking customers who dropped by to give him words of encouragement and support on May 5, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)

His purist principles may seem like a trivial reason to shutter a business that had been going strong for over 80 years. It likely won't make sense to anyone who hasn’t felt deep, unparalleled devotion to a vocation that it becomes more than a job or a calling – it is one's whole life.

But I understood that all-consuming fire, and so did his longtime customers, magazine lovers and Holland Village residents.

COMMUNAL CELEBRATION AND GRIEVING

Sam's passion gave him immense purpose and a remarkable lack of jadedness towards life. The jovial 49-year-old's love for magazines was highly contagious that seeing him unusually deflated in the days leading up to Thambi's closure also affected several customers who came by.

Some cried expressing their gratitude for Thambi's existence all these decades, while others asked Sam whether he had found another location, desperate to save a neighbourhood shop that was more than just a newsstand or heritage landmark.

As I observed Thambi receive so much love over its final days, it became obvious that the magazine store had taken on a life of its own, growing more important than Sam himself (or his late grandfather and father) may have ever fathomed. 

Thambi, an institution that stood the test of time, represented the radical outcome from singlemindedly pursuing one’s passion and spreading the joy that passion brought. Anyone who turned up could see that the communal grieving of Thambi’s end was also a celebration of its life.

More importantly, those who flocked to the shop weren’t against change, as many said they understood the need for progress. Sam had also shared that magazine lovers like him are not anti-technology; they use touchscreen phones too. Rather, they believed modernisation didn’t have to come at the expense of culture. The death of heritage icons was not “inevitable” despite the common defeatist mindset. 

Sam kissing a framed newspaper clipping of his late father before rolling the shutters down over the magazine racks on May 5, 2024, the last day of operations. (Photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)

With his enduring love for magazines, Sam has hinted that he might eventually rehome his store if he finds the right spot. Specifically, one that allows him to openly display his magazines along a walkway. 

In a Facebook post on Monday, Education Minister and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Chan Chun Sing said he visited Sam over the weekend to explore "possible alternative locations" in the Holland Village neighbourhood. 

"Discussions are ongoing between Sam and potential partners. We hope for positive news from them," Mr Chan told CNA Lifestyle.

Nonetheless, Thambi’s closure shouldn’t be in vain. Admittedly, Singaporeans grieve quickly anytime a heritage icon is uprooted. Once the initial shock dissipates, we tend to process denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance efficiently. By the next news cycle, we’ve sunk into resignation, happy for these icons to be “preserved” as a S$15 pin or S$50 tote bag.

But Thambi’s closure felt more powerful than the loss of any other heritage icon in recent memory, chiefly because Sam was at the helm. In a country often criticised for a lack of character, his unyielding passion for magazines was the wake-up call we needed to take our heritage more seriously, even if he paid the ultimate price.

What do we lose when we lose our heritage? It’s a question I’ve been trying to answer since I found out that Thambi would close. 

Like many, I first felt upset, then I remembered we’d – obviously – lost heritage icons before and we moved on. This was just another seemingly unavoidable demise, another statistic, another remainder of olden day Singapore that was bound to make way for modernisation. I was almost fully resigned, immune and indifferent to Thambi’s fate, then I spoke to Sam. 

And now I have my answer: At first, it would seem, we only lose our heritage. But if we’re not careful, our soul goes too. 

Source: CNA/gy
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