Catching The Sungei Road Thieves Market Before It Is Gone
Like the typical kiasu (Singapore slang for someone who is afraid of losing out) Singaporean, I have long heard of the impending closure of The Thieves Market but have been pushing back the visit till last week.
We will soon witness the closing of yet another chapter of Singapore's history from 10 July 2017 onwards as the land currently occupied by the market makes way for future Sungei Road MRT Station's development. This is the last weekend for you to visit! (As of publication time)
The Thieves Market is not quite your typical food, grocery or shopping markets akin overseas. Rather, this market is a place where second-hand goods are peddled and where cash is king. As a Singaporean, I had not stepped into this market prior simply because there didn't seem a pressing need for me to do so. You will see why. This time around, I had simply wanted to capture the remnants of a historical moment and lock it in memories.
Background
Thieves Market has its history dated back to the 1930s in Sungei Road, making it the oldest market in Singapore. As its name reflects this market was a place where stolen goods were sold and today is a second-hand market patronised by the older generations mostly. It costs no rental at all for them to put their goods on sale peddling in the designated area. Perhaps that’s what makes this market unique.
Instead of a hipster, fashionable market, this is an oldies market where you can hunt and see for yourself the really old treasures of the 70s, 80s and 90s. cash notes, CDs, tapes, DVDs, cameras, clothing, books, stamps, antiques literally etc.
Whatever knick knacks you had secretly wished fof could possibly be found here.
Do you spot N'sync?
With Camera In Hand, I Went…
It was a mind-blowing, humbling experience really. I was bombarded, literally. Stepping in, I was immediately spiked by a whiff of not-so-pleasant smell. For a minute I stood still as if déjà vu, and felt transported out of Singapore. It is not everywhere on our clean and green island you witness the sprawling of goods on the ground and people engaging in trading or barter.
The Shooting
With my camera in hand, I tried to be thick-skinned to capture what I wanted. The shooting proved difficult. I found myself meeting the most unfriendly faces ever in my own home country.
Despite reading many stories of warm, friendly peddlers in the market, I found myself ranted upon.
Many shooed me when my lens pointed in their direction. Or they will cover their faces. Things like
that. Even though my lens is so short (at 30mm I am not even talking about those pros with their long
range lens) and “non-intrusive” at all, I was declined many a time.
Peddlers and customers all moved away or acted all unnatural when I tried to shoot. I was pretty desperate, to say the least.
Till I met him.
Thank you, uncle, for being so gracious and smiling for me.
Till I met him.
Thank you, uncle, for being so gracious and smiling for me.
These were the ornaments he was selling.
More often than not, the vendors were covering their faces. Spotted below?
There were a couple of photographers but I was the only young female there. For a moment I felt all eyes on me, but well I cast that aside and reminded myself I am still in Singapore. So despite feeling really out of place and followed by the immersing stares behind by back, I reminded myself I had come for one purpose – to capture the essence of the Thieves Market from my lens’ eyes. I am not claiming I produce the best pictures because I am definitely not in the league. But well, I did the best I could.
I wonder what was more heart-wrenching?
Her kneeling down with a suffering hunched back or their peddling lifestyle?
Engaging
Overseas, it has always been pretty easy to shoot portraits of the locals. In Singapore, it was like scaling the Moon. With no media license etc., I can’t proclaim I am an official media and was clueless on how to approach these people full of rich expressions and stories untold. I tried standing further away from the action, but that meant losing out the details. The best thing to engage was to talk to the subjects so that they warm up to you. I tried to spot if I could purchase something from the stalls and in turn engage the peddlers, but I can’t seem to find anything I wish to. So then yes, I had to force up my clicker speed, before they spotted and chased me away. In all, well, you just have to be thick-skinned about it. There is no way around it.I looked around to check out the 2 guys who were there with their audio and filming equipment to see how they fared. Were there some gender biases? Maybe males were able to capture photos of the peddlers more easily? No luck, it seemed they were shooed off just as much. And I was secretly relieved.
One-of-a-Kind Sentiments
Prior to the final decision to have the market removed, there were sentiments in the public to have it preserved or allocate a plot of land to have the peddlers shit to elsewhere. As at this point, from what I understand, the peddlers were given an option to rent a stall in the hawker centres and enjoy 50% rebate. But for many, they lamented how they could not afford the rental ( between $200 TO $900) as they often have no fixed customers base or revenue. While I do feel pity the "glamour days" for the Thieves Market is coming to an end, I guess perhaps it will be hard for the market to be sustainable once this current generation of peddlers is gone.I am sure despite the many ‘Nos’ I had encountered, a friendly vibe ensues within the peddlers' community and their regular customers. I have no doubt the Thieves' Market holds lots of memories among the peddlers who probably had known each other really well, perhaps even decades since since the 70s.
Also, it is highly unlikely that they will be regrouping again so head on before it closes on 10 July 2017 officially ( 2 more days!). If you are looking for something uniquely Singapore before it is gone, head down and experience the Thieves Market for yourself.
PIN FOR LATER
Opening Hours:
1-7pm daily. There is a law that binds for those caught selling and peddling after 7 pm will be fined SGD$300 by National Environmental Agency (NEA).
Between Pitt Road and Larut Road
How to get there:
See Google Map below.
Nearest station: Rochor Station (Downtown Line) 5 minutes’ walk.
Nearest Bus Stop ‘Oppo Veerasamy Road’ Bus no. 23,64, 65, 66, 67, 130, 139, 147 and 857.
8 comments
How interesting, you did get some cool photos despite the trouble. Did u buy anything?
ReplyDeleteHi Fiona~
Deletethanks for enjoying the photos. Nope unfortunately, didn't manage to buy anything.
wow - quite a unique market... sad it's being shut down. Thanks for blazing the trail and capturing the moments.
ReplyDeleteHi Syls, yes it is unique indeed as a second-hand market and not a common sight in Singapore
DeleteSo interesting! Love the photos, you did a great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you Chevelle! Glad you love the photos~
DeleteWe were in Singapore in April and this certainly doesn't look like a scene we ever saw there, as you say. It's a sad story and I hope the traders can find something to replace their lost income. Well done to you for being brave and persevering with your camera to capture this!
ReplyDeleteHi Gingey! Thanks for dropping by. Yes it is a pity the market is gone. But they are now still finiding places for the vendors to relocate to another site. We shall see. :)
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