SINGAPORE — Having put his heart and soul into his oknomiyaki (Japanese pancake) stall at Timbre+ Eastside, 39-year-old Boon was sad to learn of the venue’s Nov 26 closure, especially since his was a pioneer stall there.
After more than two years at the Singapore Expo in Changi, the live music and eating venue is going to close after Timbre Group announced the decision in a Facebook post on Oct 31.
Boon, who asked that his full name not be published, is among numerous stall owners set to bid farewell to Timbre+ Eastside. Some will move elsewhere, while others will close their business for good.
Mr Boon, who owns Ajiya Oknomiyaki, is looking to take a break for the time being but is open to resuming business if he finds a suitable location.
“We have to accept it and move on, but I will miss meeting different people who come here for events as well as the tenants who have become some of my good friends.”
Since it opened on Nov 27 in 2021, Timbre+ Eastside at Singapore Expo has served as a sister venue to its other food hall in One North, providing a wide variety of food and drinks, with frequent live band performances in the evenings.
When TODAY asked Timbre about the closure, it said that it will not be extending its occupancy at Singapore Expo because it has decided to redirect resources towards other upcoming projects, including a new Timbre+ venue.
It also said that it would help to ensure a smooth transition of operations to the incoming operator.
The Timbre Group, however, did not disclose if any of the stalls at the Eastside venue will be joining its new venue.
Singapore Expo, a convention and exhibition centre, echoed Timbre Group’s response when approached by TODAY, stating that the group’s intention to “redirect resources” to other upcoming projects led to its decision not to extend the lease.
Before Timbre+ Eastside closes, the venue is holding a farewell event titled Thank You, Eastside! Encore Party, which will include five themed nights with 11 live bands.
DECIDING NOT TO STAY ON
On Friday (Nov 10), TODAY visited Timbre+ Eastside to find out how stall owners felt about the venue’s impending closure.
Of 10 stallholders who spoke to TODAY, nine said that they would not be renewing their lease to stay on when the new landlord takes over. They intended to move or close for good.
Ms Joey Er, 36, an employee at East One Sugar Cane & Lok Lok, said: “For us, we were not approached by the new landlord to stay, so we decided to take a break first since we don’t have plans to move to another place.”
While she would miss being at Timbre+ Eastside and had had a hand in helping the stall grow into what it is today, Ms Er said that the closure presented a timely opportunity for her to further cultivate her business acumen.
For Mr Eng Boon Hor, 56, deciding to stay on with the new landlord to run his stall, The Rong Guang Kitchen, was not a feasible option due to an increase in rental cost and the low foot traffic.
He said that after calculating all the costs, he did not see a way of being able to run the business without losing money.
However, despite his decision to leave, Mr Eng would miss his loyal customers.
“Even though we may not have known each other long, there is a kind of kinship between the customers and I, especially those who would come from Singapore Expo,” he said.
Mr Eng has already secured a space at Changi Airport Terminal 2’s new food court due to open early next year.
The impending departure from Timbre+ Eastside also gave him the opportunity to work with his son Sebastian Eng, 29, who plans to open a central kitchen with his father and venture into possibly marketing his father’s bottled sauce.