The shophouse housing Katong Eye Clinic and Katong Baby and Child Clinic is on the market (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Nothing defines East Coast Road like its heritage shophouses. Some traditional businesses that were there for decades have closed in recent years as their owners have retired.
At 139 East Coast Road, Glory Catering, famous for its Nonya food — Lontong, Popiah, Peranakan Nasi Padang and kueh — closed its restaurant at the end of August 2019 after nearly 60 years. Two years ago, the shophouse was sold for an undisclosed price. Another famous eatery, Ampang Niang Tou Fu (Yong Tau Fu) at 225 East Coast Road, shuttered at the end of May 2022, after over three decades.
Other businesses have been given a new lease of life. An example is Chin Mee Chin, a coffeeshop and bakery established in 1925, famous for its fluffy buns with kaya, sugee cake and sugar rolls. The original owners, the Tan family, closed the coffeeshop in 2018, citing a lack of succession and manpower constraints. However, the family’s neighbour and long-term customer, Lim Kian Chun, group CEO of Ebb & Flow Group, revived the business, reopening it in 2021 as the new Chin Mee Chin. The Tan family continues to own the shophouse at 204 East Coast Road.
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The freehold shophouse at 207 East Coast Road has a commercial zoning (Photo: SRI)
Opposite Chin Mee Chin and the Holy Family Church is the shophouse at 207 East Coast Road with a bus stop directly in front. For more than 35 years, the shophouse has been a family medical practice: Dr Loh Hung Soo, a paediatrician, operates the Katong Baby & Child Clinic on the first level, while his wife, Dr Loh Pek Har, an ophthalmologist, runs Katong Eye Clinic on the second level.
Their son, Loh Lik Peng, is the founder and CEO of hospitality group Unlisted Collection. He sparked a trend of renewal and appreciation for conservation shophouses in Singapore by converting them into trendy boutique hotels with the opening of 1929 on Keong Saik Road, Majestic Hotel at Bukit Pasoh Road and Wanderlust on Dickson Road.
He then ventured into F&B with the opening of Meatsmith, Burnt Ends, Nouri and Kotuwa, and now owns more than 20 restaurants. Having sold his hotels in Singapore, he acquired iconic heritage buildings elsewhere, such as Trinity Townhouse Hotel in Dublin, Ireland; London’s Town Hall Hotel in the UK; and The Old Clare Hotel in Sydney, Australia. His focus is on iconic heritage buildings. He acquired the five-star Castlematyr Resort in Cork County, Ireland, together with business partner Stanley Quek in 2021. The following year, he opened the modern, Michelin-starred restaurant Terre at The Manor House, Castlematyr Resort.
Loh’s parents have recently retired from their respective medical practices and have decided to sell their shophouse at 207 East Coast Road. He is overseeing the sale on their behalf.
“They have owned the place for over 30 years,” he says. “They want to sell as they are retired and do not want to bother with rents or the upkeep of the property.” Hence, the property will be sold vacant.
The double-storey shophouse was built sometime in 1929 and sits on a freehold site of 1,500 sq ft, with a total built-up area of 2,700 sq ft. It is zoned “Commercial” with the current use as a clinic. Given the commercial zoning, foreigners can purchase the shophouse without paying additional buyer’s stamp duty.
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207 East Coast Road is located opposite the Holy Family Church and Chin Mee Chin cafe (Source: EdgeProp Landlens)
The asking price for the shophouse is $9.8 million ($3,630 psf). Simon Monteiro, associate vice president of List Sotheby’s International Realty, and Alvan Ng, associate sales manager of SRI, are joint marketing agents for the shophouse at 207 East Coast Road.
“The pricing is within the range of recent transactions and asking prices of similar shophouses with commercial zoning,” says List Sotheby’s Monteiro. “It enjoys a great frontage and high footfall as it’s right at the bus stop.”
The road frontage makes the first level of the shophouse ideal as a clinic, a vet clinic, a pet shop or a gym, adds SRI’s Ng. The upper floor, on the other hand, can be converted into a boutique co-living concept. However, the new owner must get URA approval for residential use.
The owners have already done soundproofing, notes List Sotheby’s Monteiro. “The property has been kept in great shape and requires little work for the new owner to get it up and running,” he says.
The intermediate shophouse at 288 East Coast Road is zoned residential with commercial on the first level and is on the market for $5.6 million (Photo: SRI)
Further down East Coast Road, off Still Road, is another row of shophouses, where an intermediate unit is up for sale too. Situated at 288 East Coast Road, the shophouse sits on a freehold site of 1,353 sq ft with a built-up area of 2,500 sq ft. The property is zoned residential with commercial on the first storey, which means foreigners would require approval to purchase the shophouse.
The second level of 288 East Coast Road has received provisional permission for a change of use into serviced apartments. It can be a boutique co-living concept with two units and nine beds. The ground-floor unit is currently vacant, although it has been approved for retail or takeaway food. The buyer can apply for a change of use for a commercial school or gym.
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The asking price of the shophouse is $5.6 million ($2,240 psf). The property was built sometime in 1952. Monteiro and Ng are jointly marketing it.
Since East Coast Road is a Secondary Settlement area, a new five-storey extension can be built at the rear of the shophouses at 207 and 288 East Coast Road. The two properties are up for sale by private treaty.
The second level of the shophouse at 288 East Coast Road can be converted into a serviced apartment or co-living space with nine beds (Source: EdgeProp Landlens)