We aim to sell our customers good quality products at a fraction of the price, so that they too can improve their quality of life.
A mere five-minute walk from the offices of Expat Living, secondhand furniture store Hock Siong & Co is a gem for those in search of a bargain. We sit down with manager BRILLYN TOH to find out why her father set up the business and how it has become a hipster haven.
Who started Hock Siong and why?
It was set up by my father, Toh Chin Siong. From my grandparents’ time, we were already a family of karung guni (rag and bone men) that collected old newspapers, clothing and electrical appliances from landed properties and HDB flats. However, with the competition of brand new yet cheap items from China, the karung guni business was facing its sunset. In 1998, during the Asian Financial Crisis, my father’s business failed and he switched to buying used hotel furniture. From that time, we dealt in secondhand goods from the hotels such as furniture and kitchenware.
Other than our history of dealing with used items, we are in this business because we believe in recycling. The items from the hotels are good quality and usually still in good condition, and can therefore be reused or repurposed. We also believe in creating a better standard of living for our customers – some may not be able to afford brand new furniture of the same quality. At Hock Siong we aim to sell our customers good quality products at a fraction of the price so that they too can improve their quality of life.
How have you seen the business grow, both in terms of size and popularity?
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