It seems like Tan Boon Liat Building has a great collection of furniture stores, so I thought to compile a list for would-be furniture hunters. After all, it’s not the most easy to get to building (not until the new MRT station is up anyway), and I know what it’s like to miss a store and then to re-trace your steps (frustrating!). And mostly cos the current building directory majorly sucks, and there is no online directory. You can see the old fashion directory (which is in an obscure corner no less) below:
Ya, super bad right? And it’s not even at eye level!
So 1st question… how do you get there? If you drive, parking is fairly easy. Best direction provided for MRT/bus is:
- From Outram MRT Station: 75, 970
- From Tiong Bahru MRT Station: any bus service except 123A
Address:
- Tan Boon Liat Building, 315 Outram Road
- Singapore 169074
Anyhow, so once you arrive, where do you start? I’ll suggest starting from the highest floor and working your way down, the most organised way as seasoned warehouse shoppers would know…
- Level 10: Pomelo (#10-04)
- Level 7: Mountain Teak (#07-02) & The Shop House (#07-03)
- Level 3: Journey East (#03-02), Jehan Gallery (#03-08)
- Level 1: Red House Antiques (#01-04), HuaFu (#01-05), Fair Price Antiques (#01-10)
Some disclaimers:
- Info as accurate as far as I am aware. Some details like opening hours are taken from the store websites.
- This isn’t a complete TBL furniture directory.
- Blurry shots are unintentional. But since I refuse to identify myself and hate to explain why I need to take photos in the stores, the especially blurry ones are mostly due to store assistants who persist in following me around the store (did I mention that it is a pet peeve? Who on earth can shop peacefully when store assistants insist on following you every where? Journey East especially…)
If I missed any major stores or if you spot any errors, do let me know via the comments section.
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Pomelo – #10-04
+65 6226 4663
Tue – Fri: 11:00 am-7:00 pm / Sat – Sun: 11:00 am-4:00 pm
http://www.facebook.com/PomeloHome
My favourite of the lot actually. With the larger floor space, there are more items on display but the location on level 10 isn’t great in terms of the ‘eyeball’ factor. Basically you can’t see it from the carpark looking up, and the building directory is hopeless (if you can find it in the 1st place) so if you don’t know it’s there then you probably can’t find it.
Some pics:
Mountain Teak – #07-02
+65 62247176
Tuesday – Sunday (close on Monday) 10:30am – 6:30pm
Still a bit too ‘raw’ for me, but fans of woody furniture will probably like this. Some nice lamps too. Showroom is much more spacious than the previous store in the east. Think wider range of items too, like some with industrial vibe, others fairly retro.
Some pics:
The Shop House – #07-03
+65 6323 7190
Mon to Sat: 9am to 6pm / Sun: 10.30am to 6.00pm
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Journey East – #03-02
+65 6473 1693
Mon to Sat: 11am – 6pm , Sunday & Public Holiday: 11.30am – 6pm
Jehan Gallery – #03-08
+65 633 44 333
Mon-Sun: 10:00am – 7:00pm (including Sundays and Public Holidays)
Seems to be ‘the’ place for your carpeting needs. Sorry forgot to take pics. =P
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Red House – #01-04 & #06-03 (for the factory outlet)
+65 64765285
10:30am to 6:30pm Daily
HuaFu Furniture & Homewares – #01-05
+65 6227 3217 / 6225 0209 / 6222 7119
Mon – Sat: 9.30am – 6.00pm / Sun & PH: 12.00pm – 6.00pm
FairPrice Antique – #01-10
+65 6270 2544
Daily 12noon – 5pm
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If you are hungry, I hear that the duck rice in Kew Gardens is nice. Kopi isn’t the best though, so drink at your own risk. Parking is plentiful.
More shopping lists:
- Places to buy mid-modern/vintage/retro furnitures
- Places to buy home accessories and decorations
- Places to buy industrial themed furniture
- Supporting local brands
- Other quick links to stores
- The (unofficial) Tan Boon Liat Building furniture directory
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Our EM Renovation Experience 
Moroso also there I think
Hi thanks for mentioning us in the list, and we are so sorry for the claustrophobic encounter!
We always try to be as attentive as possible to any potential customers queries – this is especially so due to the varied nature of our products and the size of our showroom. However our intentions may have come across wrongly, and for that we must apologize.
We truly understand that personal space is really important to one’s shopping experience, and will strive to maintain better balance of identifying opportune moments assist our customers, and when we can take a step back to enjoy a cup of tea!
Thanks so much for your honesty – it helps us to improve our customer’s experience at Journey East. (Now we will start following your blog instead :P)
Terence Teh
Marketing Manager
Journey East
terence@journeyeast.com
What exactly does “Expat-ish” mean and is it a good thing or a bad thing?!
Just visit the place and you’ll know what I mean…
‘Expat-ish’ sounds like an euphemism for ‘expensive’.
Heh, thank you for this post. If not for your blog, I won’t know there are other shops higher up, will visit all of them.
Thank you for the list! Really helpful. Was there last weekend and eyeing on a couple of things already. Just a small update if i might add: mountain teak seems to be open daily now.
Hi. We will be operating a new (one more !) Showroom on TBL #14-03 from June 1 2015! Please help us to spread the news ? We are most happy to invite you to visit us once the operation starts . You mentioned 11th floor to be too high up ?!! We are at the 14th ! And need your help to let the shoppers know pls ! Feel free to contact me at email or tel 90103656 . Thank you
Formerly from Tan boon liat too. We have moved to
The Riverside Piazza #01-04, Keng Chow Street, 059608 Singapore, Singapore
After furniture selection and price hunting for 3 months (weekly), finally sat my foot on Tan Boon Liat building. Not only the building are difficult to navigate, the prices are exorbitant as well. Even most of the “hipster” furniture selection from other places are much cheaper than Tan Boon Liat’s tenants.