Thrifts and Thrills @ Jalan Sultan

Hey everyone!

This week we decided to revisit another Singaporean location in the midst of the city: Haji Lane and Jalan Sultan! Located in between Bugis and Lavender MRT, the winding roads and narrow streets houses different Peranakan-style shophouses, now occupied by many cafes, restaurants and shops!

We had the specific intention of visiting an antique shop, called The Heritage Shop; we had read from online articles that they sold vintage film cameras, amongst its troves of antiquities, so we decided to take a look! We had on hand our mirrorless buddy (the Fujifilm X-T10) and a newcomer, the Polaroid SLR 680SE!

Let’s begin!

DSCF5211 — Empty land, overrun by wild grass.

DSCF5212 (2) — The Sultan Mosque, an iconic religious site built since 1928. It has been *gazetted* as a National Monument since 1975!

DSCF5214 — One of the many Peranakan-themed shophouses along Jalan Sultan/Haji Lane!

DSCF5221 — When in Singapore, must drink *teh bing* (iced milk tea)!

DSCF5223 — Think we make pretty good spokespeople for *teh bing*!

DSCF5228 — One of many unique buildings along the streets.

DSCF5229 — As mentioned, the area around Haji Lane/Jalan Sultan is brimming with cafes, such as Symmetry Cafe (captured here). It certainly brings some unorthodox into the normally tame neighbourhood!

DSCF5233 — Colourful textile products lining along the shelves of a shop!

DSCF5234 — Uniquely Peranakan: intricately designed window frames!

The Heritage Shop is a small, unassuming shop located along Jalan Sultan. Peer inside however, and you will find yourself being pulled back into the past, where modern technology did not exist or was still developing? We were amazed at the catalogue of memorabilia that the Phoa family have been amassing for (we can only imagine) their lifetime. We found old Asian crockery, newpapers clippings from the 1940s, commemorative stamps and coins dating to the early 1900s, and items we couldn’t even recognise! Yet, we came here specifically to check out their collection of cameras, and we were left stunned (and confused) at the enormity of their collection. Naturally, the items were scattered all over the shop, so we took our time looking through the cameras, seeing if any was of use.

DSCF5239 (2) — Sandra making her way through the massive collection of antiquities; it was pretty narrow for us to walk through!

DSCF5240 — Just a random collection of film camera!

DSCF5241 — Radio boxes, a thing of the past ;(

DSCF5242 — Antique clocks hanging on the walls!

Last but not certainly the least, we used our newly acquired Polaroid SLR 680SE! Using the folding camera was a treat, and we were thoroughly impressed with its focusing, depth of field and composition (using Impossible Project 600 Colour Film):

Image (30)a - Copy — In between two windows.

Image (30)b - Copy — The SLR 680SE comes with a built-in flash, and it worked a peach!

Image (30)d - Copy — Taking a break with truffle fries at Symmetry Cafe! Really impressed with how the SLR 680SE captured it!

Image (31)a - Copy — Curious Sandra: what’s that?

Image (31)b - Copy — Capturing the sunset alongside Rochor Centre!

It was a fun time walking about, capturing the sights and sounds that Haji Lane/Jalan Sultan had to offer! At The Heritage Shop, we spotted many unique items on display, and found some interesting cameras and accessories (which we may consider buying in the future).

Till next time,

Damianwithsandra