Soon-To-Close Thambi Magazine Store Owner Specially Orders Taylor Swift Merch For Swifties
Unlike most bookstores, everything here is unwrapped, inviting customers to flip the pages, feel the paper, and hopefully buy a copy home.
The ‘try and buy’ business model has served Sam well, as he was the one who convinced his father that their wares should not be kept like untouchable precious heirlooms.
“If you know how to display, it’s a beautiful art. The customer will be carried away. Once they get carried away, that’s the secret of success,” he told CNA Lifestyle.
So when he received notice that he had to cut down on the size of his display area, Sam stuck to his principles and decided to close his almost century-old store instead.
“It’s not just about money, it’s not just about business”
This 8days.sg writer has spent many happy hours at Thambi Magazine Store as a kid, getting lost between pages. It was at Sam’s shop that we bought children’s magazines, before graduating to publications like 8 Days (which ran its last weekly print issue in Sept 2018) as we grew up.
“Back then we had over 7,000 titles, and we sold a few hundred copies of 8 Days every week,” he recalls.
So you could say Sam is not just a magazine seller; his way of doing business had the effect of inspiring a generation. “It’s not just about money, it’s not just about business,” he insists to us.
What made him sad is how his customers can no longer touch and feel magazines, or discover obscure titles they never knew existed. During an afternoon of browsing, we stumbled upon a current affairs magazine dedicated to only positive news, as well as niche ones focusing on menopause, diabetic eating, skateboarding, guitar-playing…
“Look at this. Taylor Swift,” Sam suddenly says to us. He lovingly picks up something called a Taylor Swift Election Pack, featuring the singer as a US presidential candidate. Unusually enough, it was still wrapped in plastic, because it came with loose gifts like “12 Tay-America Stickers” and a “Double-Sided Campaign Poster”.
Once stock came in for the Taylor Swift Election Pack, he promptly ordered a stack. We also found a single well-thumbed copy of A Complete Fun Guide To Every Moment of The Eras Tour.
After his store closure, Sam will return unsold stock — spanning over 1,000 magazine titles — to his supplier. “They will sell the magazines at a cheaper price to third-world countries as reading material. We call it the secondhand market,” he explains. In the meantime, he will continue to work as a newspaper vendor where he personally delivers newspapers to subscribers.
Looking for new spot to reopen
But it’s not the end of the road for Thambi Magazine Store, as Sam is looking for another shop unit to reopen. Unsurprisingly, his criteria is that it must be a) in Holland Village b) outdoors and c) have adequate space to display his wares. Basically, a Thambi Magazine Store 2.0.
“It can only be Holland V. It’s the heritage part [of my shop] and I must retain it. I can’t take a shop unit without heritage, even if it’s at Orchard Road,” he declares.
Customers flocked down to his store
Upon hearing news of his store’s closure, Sam’s customers flocked down to his shop. One afternoon, we saw a young chap reverently handing a chilled bottle of water to Sam, who was sweaty from delivering newspapers in the hot weather.
There were other customers of all ages too, some grabbing their usual weekly magazine, others a newspaper. Many fought to shake Sam’s hand and wish him well. We tease him for his celebrity status, and he laughs embarrassedly.
Thambi Magazine Store is at #01-K4 Holland Road Shopping Centre, 211 Holland Ave, S278967.
Photos: Yip Jieying
