25-Year-Old Joo Chiat Complex Gets A Makeover

Source : The Straits Times, July 16, 2008

Shop owners hope business will improve after upgrading is completed next month

IN AN attempt to compete with Singapore's shiny new mega malls, the 25-year-old Joo Chiat Complex in Geylang Serai is getting a makeover.

Shop owners in the centre, which specialises in Malay baju, textiles and crafts, are eager to see the dim atrium, worn washrooms and old floors spruced up.

The sterile grey walls and monotone tiles are on their way out. As are the old awnings, which are making way for fire-resistant canopies.

The building is also getting neon signs, a CCTV security system and a better air-conditioning system, a Housing Board spokesman said in an e-mail message to The Straits Times on Monday. The HDB owns the centre.

The upgrades, which started in March and are expected to be completed next month, were welcomed by most shop owners.

'The complex is so old that people would rather shop at VivoCity. The interior is dark, the lights are dim, everything is rusty,' said curtain seller Jimmy Saw, 50, who has been running the family business there for 25 years.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times