The closure of Warong Nasi Pariaman in January marked more than the loss of a single establishment. Widely regarded as Singapore’s oldest nasi padang restaurant, its disappearance underscored the growing pressures faced by long-standing, heritage businesses in the Kampong Glam area. On its final day, long queues formed outside the shophouse on North Bridge Road. People showed up in numbers they had not shown up in for years.
Just a short walk away, Haji Lane tells a similar story. Not through closures alone, but through a gradual transformation where the atmosphere feels noticeably different from what it was five years ago. The shophouses are still intact and the murals still burst with colour. But in place of eclectic boutiques are rows of photobooths and souvenir shops, offering the same services and products, just in different configurations. The change hasn’t gone unnoticed, with content creators even attempting to document and unpack this change.
Once defined by independent and heritage stores, the street now reflects a phenomenon: consumers have more choice than ever, but less distinction between those choices. As more tourist-oriented concepts and big chains move in, it raises a deeper question: what happens to the cultural identity of a place when its uniqueness becomes harder to find?
When a place stops feeling like itself
Unfortunately, the closure of Warong Nasi Pariaman is not an isolated case. Over the past decade, traditional trades, from textile merchants to haj goods retailers, have struggled to keep pace with rising rents and intensifying competition. Between January and October 2025 alone, 2,431 food and beverage businesses ceased operations in Singapore. In their place, businesses that are more adaptable, scalable, and aligned with tourist demand have taken root.
The rise of chain stores is not unique to Singapore. But in Singapore, the shift feels particularly pronounced, as this accelerated pace of change in just the past few years has been affecting streets like Haji Lane. When a place like Haji Lane that is deeply rooted in Malay and Arab heritage is affected, there are cultural implications.
At the same time, consumer behaviour plays a role. A 2025 study has found that for 55% of Singaporeans, convenience has become a key decision-making factor. Many shoppers prioritise ease and immediacy through online shopping, and trends over long-term loyalty. With this in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that scalable, trend-responsive retail concepts thrive, and independent businesses, often built on slower, more personal forms of engagement, face an uphill battle to maintain a loyal customer base.
What makes this worth paying attention to is not just the loss of individual businesses, but the gradual erosion of what makes Singapore feel distinct. Heritage areas like Kampong Glam are not your typical retail zones. They are cultural touchpoints shaped by specific communities over time. When these spaces become increasingly homogenised, we risk losing not only variety in what we see and consume, but also the everyday visibility of the cultures and histories that define them.
In June 2025, URA banned the setting up of new souvenir shops in Kampong Gelam. In October 2025, the National Heritage Board announced 42 participants in the pilot SG Heritage Business Scheme. It aimed to recognise and protect businesses deeply integrated into Singapore’s cultural landscape. But policy can only do so much. The other half of the equation is us.
Reframing the debate
It is important to recognise that the issue extends beyond the mere presence of global or regional brands in heritage streets. The question is not whether international concepts should exist in Haji Lane, but whether structural pressures such as rising rents and the growing dominance of well-capitalised chains are gradually crowding out the diversity that allows a place to feel layered, lived-in, and distinctly its own.
And if that is the case, it raises a further question: what role do we, as consumers, play and what power do we have to shape a more balanced landscape?
What power do we have as consumers?
Consumer landscapes are shaped by demand, which means our everyday choices carry more influence than we might assume. It is reflected in where we choose to spend, what we choose to support, and whether we make space for character alongside convenience. But beyond economics, there is also a question of community.
Many long-standing businesses in Haji Lane are more than just retail spaces. They are part of the cultural and social fabric of the neighbourhood, often tied to minority communities whose presence has shaped the identity of the area over decades. When these businesses disappear, something less tangible is lost alongside them: a sense of continuity, representation, and belonging.
Supporting independent or heritage businesses and making space for them to exist doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. It can start simply with showing up before they become a footnote in an area’s history. Choosing them is not just about nostalgia. Rather, it’s about recognising their role in sustaining a more inclusive and representative environment. Even small acts like recommending a spot, bringing a friend along and returning as a regular can help sustain the spaces that give Singapore its texture, character and heritage.
Ultimately, the question is not just whether places like Haji Lane are changing. After all, change is inevitable Our everyday choices shape the spaces around us. The question is whether those choices still make room for diversity, belonging and representation. orone that gradually leaves less space for it.
We are good at appreciating things in hindsight. The harder thing is to appreciate them while they are still here.
The next time you walk past a heritage shop, will you walk in?
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