The People of Coronation
MR. ALEX LIONG
Rida Video Centre #02-17
“All over Singapore, you can’t really find many such shops. Probably around 1 to 3 left, I did a survey on this… There are people who like to collect movies. Just like how we collect CDs in the past. They like to own it and collect, pop it in to watch it over and over.”
A rock through the ages,
the place and the people that makes the place have grown and endured through the years. This intimate community has fostered a “Kampung spirit”, as the shopkeepers and their loyal customers have built mutual rapport. Over the years, the constant renovation and revamping of walls, ramps, and new lifts resulted in an immaculate yet modest design.
Coronation Plaza is within close proximity to numerous educational institutions. No doubt, this is the place where students have forged long-lasting memories that they hold dear to their hearts.
A reminiscence of the past, here are some beloved memories of Coronation Plaza shared by its patrons.
“I have been studying there for 6 years and all my class activities were held there”
- Phoon Jing Wen (Singapore Memory Project)
"I remember the mall had video rental stores, computer shops, a comic store and a book store. Those were the shops we frequented the most. There was also a kacang puteh seller and mamak shops beside the building selling snacks such as 10-cent sticks of satay and ice-cream."
- Mr Toddi Suhaimi, a 41-year-old who was once a pupil at Farrer Primary School in nearby Lutheran Road in the 1980s.
“Me and my friends used to go to Coronation Plaza @ Bukit Timah Road after school ( during sec sch) to eat chicken chop and play bridge!”
-Vivien Chin (Singapore Memory Project)
"The food here is good and authentic. It is more Malaysian, more creamy, not so spicy"
- Mrs Irene Lam
"I love this old shopping mall. It has a charm about it."
- Ms Visnja, a 50-year-old patron
"I hung out a lot at Starbucks to study after school during JC. Here, I met my best friend's neighbor because the 3 of us lived along Bukit Timah. We were really shy but he became my first boyfriend!"
- Valerie (Singapore Memory Project)
