What is the importance of archiving and retaining memories? When it comes to reminiscing and sentimental value, does a tangible object hold greater significance than an intangible one? Rebecca, co-founder of By My Old School along with her father, advocates for the importance of physical objects, which is evident in their endless collection of vintage items.
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By My Old School is a vintage paradise overflowing with an abundance of nostalgic treasures. So much so that there is hardly any walking space, but honestly, we aren’t complaining. Upon entering, an old tune and a smell of wood fills the air – it feels almost as if you’ve stepped into the past. Navigating through the shop requires careful manoeuvring to avoid bumping into the surrounding objects. Left and right, the walls and shelves are plastered with vintage materials, records, luggages, wares, prints, toys, crockeries, and more. The assortment ranges from delicate trinkets to more substantial items like human figurines reminiscent of those found in traditional Chinese medical halls. Blink once and you’ll probably miss something.
The antique and vintage items at By My Old School represent a mixture of goodies from various decades. But an item's significance can vary depending on the viewer's age and the era they were from. What may be considered vintage to one person could merely be a regular, everyday item from the past to someone else.
Different people consider different things vintage. To me, a 90s item is not vintage as I grew up in the 80s, but it is for someone younger.
“Antiques are objects that have been around for over a hundred years. Whereas when you say something is vintage, you have to qualify it. Something in the 90s will be referred to as 1990s vintage and items from the 80s are referred to as 1980s vintage. It is definable. Different people consider different things vintage. To me, a 90s item is not vintage as I grew up in the 80s, but it is for someone younger. I showed a customer an item from the 1960s once, and he referred to it as ancient. That made me feel very old (haha). I like to have such conversations with my customers, both young and old,” Rebecca recounts.
Honestly, I didn't even realise my dad was collecting because he was very good at hiding it.
To gather such an extensive collection was also no overnight feat. “My dad started collecting many years ago. As I grew older, I started to collect too. But when I first started, I collected toys, posters – mostly pop culture things. Honestly, I didn't even realise my dad was collecting because he was very good at hiding it, ” shares Rebecca.
You have to hold stuff for a long time before its value goes up. This is the challenging part because storage space becomes a problem.
As their collection grew bigger, they came up with the idea of having a small space to consolidate and house their growing collection. This marked the opening of their first tiny shop at Normanton Park in 2011. They have since moved to Commonwealth Drive. “I told my dad, maybe we can start a small shop that we could rent inexpensively. Everything didn’t used to be for sale, it was all just for personal use. Last time, we even held garage sales and open houses. Actually, all collectors start this way. You have to hold stuff for a long time before its value goes up. This is the challenging part because storage space becomes a problem. Collectors can’t keep everything, so it is good to have a niche when collecting. For me, I like to collect paper objects like magazines because of my editorial background,” she says.
Soon enough, their collection was sought after by people for film production, photography sets, and more. “We do rent out our props to Mediacorp. But most of our rentals go to private production houses like theatre companies, advertisement production, tv production, and even to events like birthday parties and corporate events looking to organise something retro. Our rental ranges from a single item up to a whole setup. My dad lived through all these decades so from his personal experiences, he is able to tell you what props you would need for settings like a 1950s kopitiam or a classroom. We've also hosted a music performance here as well,” she says.
Parents visit to buy stuff for their kids or bring them here to share with them about their childhood. While at it, they themselves can reminisce too. Using these physical things as conversation starters, you can uncover interesting family stories.
Apart from businesses, By My Old School also has a big pool of regular customers. “Our customers range from people in their 30s who are setting up their homes and looking for one-of-a-kind items, to older collectors. Younger people who don't have homes visit too to look for analogue items like film cameras, typewriters and cassettes. Parents visit to buy stuff for their kids or bring them here to share with them about their childhood. While at it, they themselves can reminisce too. Using these physical things as conversation starters, you can uncover interesting family stories,” she says.
With Singapore’s fast paced society, holding on to tangible vintage items becomes even more important. “If you go to Malaysia, you can probably get an idea of how coffeeshops of the 50s looked like. Their pace of life is slower, and people don't really renew their things. Singapore tears down buildings to redevelop often. A lot of old shops have closed down. And with the Sungei Road Thieves Market gone and a lack of big flea markets to rummage through, it is tough to be a collector in Singapore,” she shares.
Here, we are losing a lot of material culture. Everything is digital. Soon, we will not have printed photos, letters, and even plastic bags are phasing out.
Even birth certificates have gone digital since May 29, 2022. “Here, we are losing a lot of material culture. Everything is digital. Soon, we will not have printed photos, letters, and even plastic bags are phasing out. People hardly read newspapers these days either. Even birth certificates have gone digital. My goodness, how can? The birth certificate of a baby should be physical because it is an important milestone right? But now I have to go and get it printed myself? It is not the same. And in the near future, there is nothing for you to grab hold of, nothing for one to discover, uncover and present when talking about the times because everything is in your phone. These are the things I really feel we should try to save,” Rebecca says.
Simple things like plastic bags can be used to tell stories too. Through clearing a house, Rebecca uncovered a huge collection of plastic bags all folded and archived. “At that moment, it was just a plastic bag. 40 years later, you look at it, it tells a story,” she shares.
The usage of old plastic bags can serve as evidence of a significant turning point in Singapore's lifestyle, showcasing the era when the country was transitioning from the imperial to the metric system of measurement. “It is quite a sign of the times. Plastic bags from NTUC, Yaohan (an old grocery store that is now closed), Metro, Oriental Emporium (a department store that no longer exists) can be used to disseminate history and information. I mean yes, it is good to phase out plastic bags, but you won't have these things to remember anymore,” she says.
Similarly, old out-of-print paper bags can be used to tell the era as well. “From the imprinted telephone number and the postal code, you can pinpoint its decade. Our postal code system started from 1 to 28 districts. Telephone numbers were also six numbers but as our population grew, we needed to have more numbers, resulting in the seven digits now. Older people will remember this system,” she explains.
Like father, like daughter, Rebecca’s dad also keeps a physical journal to preserve memories of the past. Demonstrating his belief in the profound influence of physical keepsakes and the importance of tangibility. “My dad likes to keep a journal. Now when he looks back, he can remember a lot of things,” she says.
If we don't keep physical things, in the future everything is going to be in the Cloud – existing only digitally, intangible to the human touch.
As modernity rapidly consumes our old physical spaces, and emphasis is being placed on boosting efficiency and reducing the need for physical collaterals, Rebecca believes that we might be losing something important. “If we don't keep physical things, in the future everything is going to be in the Cloud – existing only digitally, intangible to the human touch. Well yes, we have not reached that level yet as we still have material stuff preserved from our younger days. But it is not long before that this will become our reality,” she says.
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Find out more about their vintage collectibles by following them on Instagram here.
