The Telok Ayer Community Whisperer

Ms. Sue-ShanQuekis on a mission to re-envision the concept of Singapores beloved community center withTelokAyer Arts Club

- Anton D. Javier

According to Ms. Sue-Shan Quek, Founder of The Supermarket Company (which is known for the SPRMRKT restaurants at Robertson Quay and Cluny Court), setting up Telok Ayer Arts Club (TAAC) was a natural evolution from the SPRMRKT brand. She says, “The arts have always been a part of my life. I have a bachelor’s degree in art and then I went on to do graphic design at Parsons.” While working in the arts wasn’t something Ms. Quek sought out to do immediately after graduating, it managed to make its presence felt when she opened the first SPRMRKT at McCallum Street in 2012. The place doubled as an art gallery, in addition to being a restaurant/retail concept. “I believe it has now come full circle since TAAC is located where the first SPRMRKT was,” she reveals. “When I started my own business, I knew from the start that I wanted to incorporate what I was really passionate about, and that’s art.”

Tell us how the idea of TAAC came about.

When SPRMRKT left McCallum Street, an opportunity presented itself because the original space it occupied was still there and I wanted to revisit that culinary-cultural concept we initially had at SPRMRKT. I placed that concept in the forefront and wanted to explore what that meant for the company. That’s the moment where TAAC came into the fore, along with the team that naturally came together.