A pottery studio in Chinatown has closed less than nine months after opening, leaving around 40 affected customers in a Telegram group trying to recover unfinished pottery pieces or obtain refunds.
MIT Artspace, which opened in December 2025, ceased operations on 8 August 2026.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, only some customers were informed before the closure and told to collect their pottery within a short period. Others said they did not receive the notice and found out only later, by which time they could no longer retrieve their pieces.
Around 40 Customers Joined Telegram Group
Customers attending MIT Artspace workshops would make and colour their pottery before leaving the pieces with the studio for glazing and firing.
The entire process could take around seven to eight weeks.
Zaobao reported on 1 September that about 40 affected customers subsequently formed a Telegram group. A review of the group by the newspaper found that their refund experiences differed, with some receiving full refunds and others getting only part of what they had paid.
One 20-year-old student told Zaobao that she checked on her pottery after seven weeks and was told it was still unfinished.
She was overseas when the closure was announced, so she asked a friend to visit the studio. Her friend found numerous pottery pieces placed outside. Of the student’s two pieces, one had not been fired and the other could not be found.
Another affected customer, a 21-year-old student, said she learnt of the closure through an online post rather than directly from the studio and was unable to retrieve her pottery.
She said she repeatedly contacted the business before receiving a response on 26 August.
According to Zaobao, she was initially offered S$10 for each piece as a refund. After further exchanges, including telling the business that she would make a police report, she eventually received a full refund.
Some Customers Were Told to Collect Their Pieces Before Closure
The Straits Times reported that MIT Artspace had sent a WhatsApp message to some customers on 3 August, telling them that the studio was closing permanently and that their pottery could be collected by 9 August.
The studio was located at 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace.
However, several customers interviewed by ST and Stomp said they did not receive the closure notice.
Stomp previously reported that another customer who was unable to retrieve her pottery received a 50 per cent refund.
MIT Artspace Cites Financial, Operational and Premises Problems
MIT Artspace told Stomp that it stopped operating on 8 August because of operational and financial difficulties, as well as problems with its premises, including ceiling damage.
The studio said the premises problems restricted access and led it to arrange for pottery to be placed at a designated collection area.
It said it was processing refunds and reviewing outstanding customer cases individually.
In response to Zaobao’s queries, MIT Artspace said it was focusing on reviewing and resolving remaining customer matters and declined to comment further.
The Consumers Association of Singapore, or CASE, received two complaints against MIT Artspace between 1 and 23 August, CASE president Melvin Yong told the media.
The complaints involved customers who could not collect their pottery or whose pieces had not been glazed or fired following the studio’s closure announcement.
CASE said it is assisting affected consumers.
