Memories For Miles: These Golden Mile Establishments Are Moving On With Pride

These Golden Mile residents are leaving their home with heads held high (Credit: Enclave, Mark Lewis Tan (Purn Rao), ROOM 0416)

An underground musical takeover in the cultural icon that is Golden Mile Complex – of course it was gonna make the headlines. The Last Mile is already anticipated as one of the biggest electronic music events of the year, with tickets sold out within a day like hotcakes. From quaking techno to rolling drum & bass, the sounds of 13 music collectives will unify as one to honour this historical institution. Indeed, let’s not forget what this event is truly about. Much more than the music, The Last Mile is about the people who call Golden Mile Complex their home.

The upcoming en bloc sale represents the erosion of an ecosystem that countless locals and expats have called ‘Little Thailand’, and one can fathom why the moment you step in. Strewn across the conserved building (officially gazetted just last year) lies a sprawl of establishments catered to the local Thai community and Singaporeans who adore Thai culture. Embedded in this microcosm are cherished establishments like Purn Rao KTV where both locals and Thais mingle in song and revelry, and Enclave that carried on a family’s legacy by transforming a Thai karaoke space into a music-centric cocktail bar. It’s venues like these that highlight the mission of The Last Mile – read our interview feature with The Last Mile organisers – to orchestrate a final hoorah for the establishments that’ve housed years of immortalised memories.

Purn Rao KTV has been a mainstay in Golden Mile Complex for over a decade now (Credit: Mark Lewis Tan)

Memories like the spontaneous friendship bouncing between the walls of Purn Rao – which translates to ‘Our Friend’ – where you’d often find like-minded Singaporeans belting out Thai anthems. “It’s popular amongst locals; those who go to Thailand to work or those who really love Thai food and songs,” shares Jadturaporn Lekkimlim Sophia (affectionately known as Pi Sofia), who runs things at Purn Rao. “My place has an open-concept, no rooms. 90% of the songs are all Thai songs, so a lot of Singaporeans come to learn to sing Thai songs. They also like to throw songs to other tables. Some would even say, ‘Hi I’m Singaporean, but I can sing Thai very well you know!’. It’s why I have a lot of regular customers who come early and enjoy.”

For brothers, Ritz and Rush Ang, the upcoming transition means the loss of businesses that they’d built during the stranglehold of the pandemic. Businesses such as Enclave that used to be a Thai KTV run by their father for nine years. “COVID happened and that business model just wasn’t viable anymore, so I thought it would be cool if we opened a cocktail bar in the middle of where all the Thai Discos are,” explains Ritz.

Ritz Ang runs the fort at Enclave, a cocktail bar hidden between Thai KTVs (Credit: Courtesy of Enclave)

As for Rush, he’d been steering the operations of ROOM 0416 for over two years. What used to be a vintage clothing store called Retro Gate evolved into a studio hangout for gigs and dance sessions. “COVID happened, and Retro Gate stopped operating after the lockdown. It was really a huge blow for everyone then, as everyone knew,” Rush elaborates, “But luckily, I managed to meet two other breakers, Jem and Slim, who were also using the space for their dance rehearsals and classes. So we decided to work together and take over the space as the original lease was ending. And the rest you can say is history.”

The very existence of Golden Mile Complex in a fast-flourishing metropolis sometimes feels like an anomaly, but operating in a place like this does have its charm. Its tenants will generously share that it’s more than just a mall, but a home for its distinctive community. “I can say that Golden Mile is a one-stop shop; everything have,” quips Pi Sofia. “I rent a unit upstairs for my workers, and I have one room myself. Here you’ve got a minimart, supermarket, and Thai food that I can order 24 hours. You even have a Thai clinic and a doctor who can speak Thai very well. It’s like a village. Everybody knows each other, and we take care of each other. Sometimes, I don’t step out of Golden Mile for one whole week. I can say that out of 365 days, 366 days I’m here.”

Where’s your favourite haunt in Golden Mile Complex? (Credit: Life In Arpeggio)

“It’s the people and atmosphere that I love in Golden Mile Complex. It has such a kampong vibe to me,” adds Rush who’d lived in the building his whole life. “Having grown up in Golden Mile Complex, I would always see all the familiar faces in the building and the mall itself, from the Mama shop uncle to the Kodak Shop uncle and my neighbours on the fourth level. Almost everyone knows everyone, and it’s such a nice and warm feeling to know that you can have a nice chat with your neighbours or your fellow tenants in the building, even if it’s for a short while. On top of that, I love how the mall changes from a Thai food haven into a full-on party/drinking spot over the course of the day. There’s always something new or surprising.”

However, it’s Golden Mile Complex’s unique identity that tends to give it a bad rap as a notorious nightlife spot. For businesses, the dance when it comes to manoeuvring around these conditions can be tricky and tedious. Ritz enlightens, “The building kinda has its own set of ‘by-laws’, which is something I love; you get transported to another place and for a while, you get to escape Singapore. But with that, it attracts a lot of attention, and not the good kind.”

The arrival of Enclave definitely turned heads in the scene (Credit: Courtesy of Enclave)

“When we first opened, it was really tough trying to convince the authorities that we’re not like the other places. Like we don’t have secret society people coming in and out of our place, nor do we have hostesses. So we got checked on quite often, sometimes to the point where they just wanted to find fault with us, which is very annoying and it disrupts the operations and experience of our customers as they can be quite rude and aggressive sometimes. Besides that, we definitely do get our fair share of people who are super sceptical of our space. We would get comments like, ‘Cocktail bar? No girls? Can make money meh?’. [laughs] I kid you not, that’s exactly what they said. I guess that’s why we opened this space. It’s to defy this kind of mindset and attitude.”

It's a sentiment shared by his brother, Rush, despite operating a business that’s neither a bar nor a nightclub. “The police do come by fairly often and question a lot about what we are doing, especially since we’re doing something that is not commonly heard of in Golden Mile Complex (having an events space catered to music, dance and parties). But we do understand that the police are doing their jobs, and we definitely want everyone to be safe while enjoying their time in ROOM 0416,” he chimes in.

ROOM 0416 hosted plenty of cultural affairs such as fashion bazaars (Credit: Courtesy of ROOM 0416)

Hip-hop dance battles (Credit: Courtesy of ROOM 0416)

And underground gigs (Credit: Courtesy of ROOM 0416)

Yet after years of successful entrepreneuring and endurance against the authorities, it became impossible to deny the looming closing chapter of Golden Mile Complex. For many, it signifies the dissolution of years of hard work. For others, the loss of a childhood home. As you’d might expect, this mandatory shift is taking its tenants on a roller-coaster of emotions, from optimistic highs to demoralising lows. For Pi Sofia, the departure is a particularly crushing blow to Purn Rao’s post-pandemic recovery.

“I feel very sad. Even though the news had been announced for a while now, we’re still just recovering from COVID. We haven’t been fully doing business these past two years; it was a burden. I could not let my workers go, and my workers didn’t want to go. So together we struggled until we could finally open… but then the news came out. So I haven’t fully recovered,” Pi Sofia shares with a dejected tone in her voice.

Enclave celebrating its first-year anniversary (Credit: Courtesy of Enclave)

Meanwhile, Ritz holds onto a more sanguine position regarding the big move. “We definitely wish we could have had more time to operate out of Golden Mile,” he explains. “It definitely feels premature from a business standpoint. It feels bittersweet and exciting at the same time because of the challenges that will be presented to us. Golden Mile will forever be our home and our origin. It’s like, we’re sad but we’re also happy.”

Anxiety often manifests in the fear of the unknown. And for many of these businesses, their next steps remain clouded in a limbo of uncertainty. The hunt for a new base of operations continues for ROOM 0416 and Rush, who admits that a break would do him good. Ritz remains tight-lipped in his upcoming plans for Enclave, but only reveals that he’s excited for what’s on the horizon. And for Pi Sofia and Purn Rao, the search is still ongoing before their official Golden Mile closure on 31 March.

Mugic’s parties at Purn Rao helped give Golden Mile a new breath of life (Credit: Mark Lewis Tan)

While it’s highly unlikely for these venues to replicate the exact vibe of Golden Mile Complex in their eventual new home, they can still persevere as a bastion for the communities that they’ve built along the way. It’s this spirit of bringing people together that Pi Sofia is exceptionally skilled in, and it’s visible in the people who surround her like a beloved matriarch. Not one to be set in stagnancy, Pi Sofia was arguably instrumental in breathing new life into Golden Mile Complex by exposing it to a younger demographic of locals and expats. And she did this with the help of Mugic Soundsystem – co-organisers of The Last Mile – who threw their unforgettable Mugic parties in Purn Rao.

“I just wanted to do something different from other pubs. If you want to get youngsters or expats to come to Golden Mile, there’s usually no chance. So this was a good opportunity to introduce my pub to others. Jordan [from Mugic] was our regular customer and he said he had something to introduce to me,” Pi Sofia shares with the aptitude of a savvy businesswoman. “The first time we did it, it was very successful. I stood at the cashier from start to end till nearly 5am. A lot of people! Later on, I even had a group of foreign customers who came back to play pool and drink a little bit. ‘You remember me?’ they asked, ‘I came for that event last time’. They were all dressed like punks but they were very nice. I had a lot of customers from that event who came back just to say hi.”

Jordan AKA MyHero behind the decks with Kentaro, both representing Mugic (Credit: Mark Lewis Tan)

It's these friendships that they’ve forged and these memories that’ve endured that will buttress the reputations and futures of these Golden Mile establishments. There’s no denying the magic that they’ve conjured with their treasured concepts and community-building amity. No matter where they go next, they will take comfort in the lives they’ve touched along the way.

“I would like to tell my regulars and friends to please come to The Last Mile. This will be the last chance that we’ll gather together in Golden Mile. I’m happy to hear that tickets are sold out. I’m actually wondering if we can cope [laughs],” jokes Pi Sophia.

It’s the end of an era, but the memories of its inhabitants will remain (Credit: Flickr/Ee Shawn)

“There is so much to say. But to everyone that has booked or visited ROOM 0416, a big big thank you to you all,” adds Rush. “We would haven’t survived at all, especially during COVID. It’s honestly crazy that we started right after COVID broke out and continued to operate for another two years. This all couldn’t have been possible without all the gig organisers, music collectives, dance instructors, dancers, musicians, patrons and to everyone who bought a ticket to a show or party in ROOM 0416.”

“Thank you to everyone who took a chance on us, trusted us and spread the good word around,” Ritz says to his loyal customers. “We feel so well supported by everyone and we really couldn’t have survived without all of you who thought about us. And also, for being so understanding. We love all of you!”   

Now that you’ve heard what they all have to say, what do you wish to say to the characters of Golden Mile Complex? The Last Mile is one of your final opportunities to watch Golden Mile come to life in its fullest glory. Come early, explore the stores, have a late supper (or two), talk to the Thai expats, and of course, dance the night away at the five participating venues of The Last Mile. Let’s make this a farewell that history never forgets.

Artwork by Natasha Hassan & Eric Foenander

The Last Mile, 4 March 2023, 7.30pm-4am. Golden Mile Complex, 5001 Beach Road, Singapore 199588. The five participating venues are Purn Rao KTV, 3 Saaap, Enclave, ROOM 0416, and Elite Club. Life In Arpeggio is the media partner of The Last Mile.