Chinatown Complex's Foo Leong Records to wind up business by end of November

[The_King]

 

 

SINGAPORE - In its heyday in the 1980s, customers flocked to Foo Leong Records in Chinatown Complex to buy CDs of popular singers such as Fong Fei-fei or Leslie Cheung.

But the record shop will wind up its business at the end of the month, its 79-year-old founder, Madam Wong Nam Thye, told Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao.

Madam Wong had started the business as a roadside stall in Pagoda Street in the 1960s before setting up shop in Chinatown Complex in 1983.

With the rise of online music streaming and downloading services, CD sales have slowed dramatically. In the past four years, Madam Wong said she has been losing about $1,000 a month, despite reducing the size of her store to cut rental costs last year.

"I had wanted to keep the store going just a day at a time," Madam Wong told Lianhe Wanbao. "It has been 36 years and I really cannot bear to close it down."

She said of Foo Leong Records, which is named after her son: "To me, the shop feels like a child I have been nurturing all this time."

 

 

At one point, she even pawned off her gold ornaments from her dowry to pay for rent.

 

However, despite her best efforts, she has exhausted all means to keep Foo Leong Records in business.

Two weeks ago, she began clearance sales, reducing the prices of her CDs from more than $10 to $2.

 

In its heyday in the 1980s, customers flocked to Foo Leong Records in Chinatown Complex to buy CDs of popular singers such as Fong Fei-fei or Leslie Cheung. PHOTO: LIANHE WANB

 

Although she is making a loss, she is hoping only to earn what little money she can.

After learning of the store's impending closure, many old customers have taken the time to visit the store one last time to browse or buy CDs.

 

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/chinatown-complexs-foo-leong-records-to-wind-up-business-by-end-of-november

 

[Homelander]

Farewell nostalgic shop

[chamfer]

I used to buy some cds from this shop. I remember she offer cheap price and the shop was always crowded. My first china version of jay's chou album was bought for $5 from her. (Usually i buy cheap version to play on my cd player on the go until i got my mp3 player. At least i won't heart pain if cd got scratched badly)

 

Sembawang music centre is my one of my fav hunting ground for cheap cds. Usually go to tower or hmv to get those hard to get cds or special edition boxsets.

 

 

[The_King]

Sembawang music , tower  and hmv  are all old school

[metalrover]

Been to this shop b4, used to be quite crowded. Mostly sell mainstream music cds, moi cant get anything from there.

 

Tower records used to be my fav cd haunting ground..

Edited November 17, 2019 by metalrover