Jalan Besar seems to be the latest up-and-coming neighbourhood in town.

There is the hipster-magnet coffee bar Chye Seng Huat Hardware, and down the road is the recently opened boutique hotel Kam Leng in Jalan Besar.

Is it just me or are the names of these places awfully... local? Seems like these days, you just need to slap a couple of old-school-sounding Chinese syllables together and viola, instant street cred for nostalgia and being oh-so-cool.

Meh.

This week, we’re exploring another oh-so-cool concept store – Tyrwhitt General Company.

Signature style

Just like its neighbour below at Chye Seng Huat Hardware, the Tyrwhitt General Company looks like it’s targeting the chic (yes, oh-so-cool) crowd.

From sleek overpriced backpacks that resemble foxes, to suspenders with unconventional cartoonish prints, it’s clear that a hipster would feel at home here.

But I was glad to see that a lot of the products were by local labels like Little Odd Forest which makes bags, pouches and necklaces. Another local brand on display was Handmade – it makes bowties, pocket squares and ties.

It gave me a warm feeling in my heart, which was quite nice since I definitely didn’t belong to the well-heeled oh-so-cool crowd thronging the store. My heart fluttered when I spotted a little starter scrapbooking kit with stickers, tags and pins. It comes with a notebook by the Handmade Movement – a Singaporean community that seeks to encourage the appreciation of handmade goods.

I got excited thinking of a weekend spent in my room feeling like a little girl doing some old-fashioned craft work.

Tyrwhitt General Company also sells sophisticated- looking men’s wallets from local brand Stone for Gold.

And if you want to support the local literary movement, there are books from Singaporean poets like Cyril Wong.

But what really caught my attention was the row of hanging tote bags with prints of traditional dishes like chwee kueh. It’s a nice ode to our love affair with local food.

Price point

Clearly, it takes a lot of moolah to be a hipster.

Almost everything here was jaw-droppingly pricey.

A boxy messenger bag cost a whopping $369 – and it didn’t look like it could carry more than a laptop and a small book.

A pair of tweed suspenders cost about $129. True, the tweed ones look a lot better than the ones Larry King sports. But still, if an accessory costs more than my entire outfit, it’s not a good sign.

But what shocked me most was a cloth gnome pin that cost $28 from local brand Little Odd Forest.

It was cute, but it definitely didn’t look as if it would cost that much.

Yes, yes, we pay for quality, and we pay for the added value that comes from a local brand, but that much more?

Store layout

The store was small but the items were displayed very well.

I could have a good look around the store and pick out the items that I wanted to take a closer look at.

They were also organised according to their brands – which is good for someone who wants to be more aware of the local scene.

Service

She did smile as I opened the door. But I felt that the only sales assistant there wasn’t eager to answer my questions.

As soon as she finished answering one, she would briskly go back to her desk.

I almost felt apologetic that I had to keep calling her to ask questions.

But then, I reminded myself, it is her job.

Verdict

If you’re a hipster with some cash to spare, this might well be your haven.

WHAT: Tyrwhitt General Company

WHERE: 150 Tyrwhitt Road

WHEN: Tue to Sun 11am to 7pm

HISTORY: This multi-label concept store was opened by Singaporeans Colin Chen, Irwin Lim and Wong Yingming in October.

Mr Chen is the 29-year-old founder of two home-grown labels Fabrix and Miller Goods. Mr Lim, 34, owns two lifestyle product stores called Cumulus and Nimbus and Mr Wong, 29, works at a sports marketing consultancy company.

The 350 sq ft shop’s name, as well as its industrial decor, is inspired by old hardware stores along Tyrwhitt Road.

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