Mama Shop Wall Mural at Lorong Stangee

A slice of the past is now painted right into the heart of Lor Stangee. 🎨✨
This spot once housed a real mama shop — the kind that sold everything from snacks and toys to bottles of ice-cold soft drinks, serving as a daily stop for neighbours young and old.

The new mural, created by local artist Alvin Mark Tan, brings it back to life in vivid colour. His work pays tribute to the warmth and familiarity of these corner shops, which once served as social anchors in almost every neighbourhood. In painting the shelves crammed with biscuits, sweets, and everyday essentials — and even the shopkeeper seated at the counter — Alvin evokes the familiar charm of the mama shop that once dotted Singapore’s streets.

For Alvin, the project was not only about visual nostalgia but also about sparking conversation. During the painting process, residents and visitors often stopped to share their own memories of mama shops: from after-school snacks to late-night pick-ups of household items. These spontaneous exchanges highlighted how deeply ingrained the mama shop was in daily life.

It even stirred up my own memory of a similar mama shop along Ceylon Road, next to the kopitiam where June Coffee now stands. I can still picture the iced gem biscuits, White Rabbit candy, and raffia string, and remember the warmth of the shopkeeper’s nod as he scooped my snacks into a plastic bag. Different street, same charm — a little piece of old Singapore.