10 shops we used to hang out in the 90s, but are no longer around now

Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:54 pm

The physical retail landscape is very different now as compared to the 90s. While people in the 90s used to set a meeting place to shop, eat or just hang out, the millennials prefer to do so on the Internet. Let us look at what are some of the shops that people used to hang out in the 90s but are no longer around.

Yaohan
Who can forget Singapore’s first departmental store that changed the local shopping landscape? Families loved heading there on the weekends for shopping, while the kids loved eating finger snacks like teriyaki chicken balls and french fries.

Perlini’s Silver
This was the Tiffany & Co among students when they wanted to buy jewellery for friends or steads.

Sembawang Music Centre
At its peak, this homegrown brand expanded from one store to 26 stores. The rise of peer-to-peer music download networks and digitalisation brought about its demise in 2009.

HMV
The mention of Heeren in the 90s will automatically bring HMV to mind. As the island’s largest music retailer, it used to occupy three whole levels of Heeren. It was THE place to go if you were looking for hard to find CDs, VCDs and merchandises.

Jurong Entertainment Centre
This was a favourite hangout place for kids of the 90s. It was the only place to have an ice-skating rink and the cinema was one of the biggest in the West side of Singapore. There was also a huge arcade on the second floor which was frequented by the ah bengs and ah lians. Today, it has been renovated and rebranded to JCube.

A&W
Whether it’s their curly fries, waffles ice cream or root beer float, A&W was one of the most beloved fast food restaurants in the 90s. Students loved to hang out in the orange-themed restaurant after school.

Comics Connection
Back when the only way to read mangas was to buy or rent, Comics Connection was the biggest retailer to do so. After 23 years in business, the rise of online manga portals resulted in the decline of sales. The remaining stores that it occupy today have been handed over to another owner and renamed “Toy Or Game (TOG)”.

SOGO
Nested at one of the most prime locations in Raffles City shopping mall, the Japanese department store pulled out of Singapore after 14 years.

Carrefour
Since it opened its first supermarket here in 1997, its marketing efforts have been lacklustre as compared to its competitors. Unable to keep up with the competition here, Carrefour finally exited at the end of 2012.

Borders
Opened in 1997, book lovers can simply laze the day away reading books in Borders or have a cup of coffee at its cafe. Due to a dispute with its landlord, Wheelock Properties and falling sales, Border shuttered its doors in 2011.