Veiled by a nest of industrial buildings in Tai Seng lies a vibrant store that houses goods and apparel from independent local designers. Emulating the energy of creative retail spaces like the now-defunct but legendary Colette, the store, which was opened last year in June, is focused on community-building and a well-curated selection of oddities. Named Open Door Store, the store is inviting and intimate, with graphics and decor littered throughout the space. In every corner that you look, there’s always an object that will leave you fixated with curiosity and zest.
Opened in June last year, creative duo Goh Zhong Ming and Debbie Lee started Open Door as a retail extension of Konstrukt Laboratories, their silkscreen printing business which produces for a melange of local labels and shops. The brands they carry are mostly independent local brands that operate on motifs that are culturally unique to Singaporeans, forming a resonance that many others are unable to. For instance, peep New World Plaza, a brand selling posters and printed tees with graphics that are reminiscent of the ones that are used in the ’30s. In the corner you’ll find Cruddy Store, whose signature graphicTt-shirt inspired by the Giant supermarket logo will certainly invoke nostalgia.
Other than its array of interesting graphic T-shirts and art, the space also actively organises events in collaboration with brands and creative collectives. In January, they held an event alongside Slow Press, an independent food zine to celebrate the latter’s third anniversary with an all-new zine, Filipino food and natural wines in accompaniment to a live DJ set. For Lunar New Year, they collaborated with home kitchen Gravy Baby for a food pop-up in the space, serving up Teochew delights like braised duck rice, chup huey soup and a decadent orange and coconut cake. Graphic T-shirts were also made and sold to commemorate the event, furthering Open Door’s commitment towards bringing the intersectionality of food, fashion and art into their store.
Below, Vogue Singapore speaks to founders Goh and Lee to discover their motivations behind opening such a space and the plans that they both hold for it in the future.
Can you tell us what Open Door store is about?
Open Door Store is a platform dedicated to spotlighting and offering the creations of our local artists and creatives to a wide audience. Through the store, we aim to highlight the abundance of hidden talents within our community and emphasise the importance of supporting our local artisans.
When did you start Open Door? What motivated you to do so?
After years of Konstrukt Labs’ involvement in printing production, we recognised a gap in spaces or stores that exclusively showcase pieces from our local community, which led to the inception of Open Door Store. In essence, many of the works featured in Open Door are from Konstrukt Labs’ clientele. We opened our doors in June 2023.
Why did you pick Kapo Factory Building to house this?
Konstrukt Labs required a larger space compared to our previous location to accommodate various production machines, and time was of the essence. The instant we laid eyes on this current space, we knew it was the right move and promptly seized the opportunity.
You have a huge focus on T-shirts as a store. Why is that important to you?
It’s our bread and butter. It’s what most of our clients come to us for. We have plans this year to branch out and work on more mediums, though.
This past year, Open Door Store has hosted parties with various local creative brands. Why is engaging with the creative scene important for the space?
We want to create a space where people can come together to celebrate art and culture. Supporting local creatives not only provides them with opportunities to showcase their work, gain recognition, and pursue their artistic endeavours, but we also hope to foster a sense of community and build stronger connections with customers.
What can we expect in the coming months from Open Door?
We have some plans to collaborate with local artists to make exclusive products. Also, our retail space is always a work in progress as we are exploring new styles and look forward to changing it up whenever we have pockets of free time.
