Lifestyle stores in Singapore
If your idea of a fun weekend involves more than another mall trip to ION or VivoCity, you’re not alone. Across the island, a quiet wave of indie design stores has been popping up in the most unexpected corners. These aren’t your usual home decor showrooms either. We’re talking lifestyle stores and creative spaces that double as galleries, cafes, riso print studios, and even hands-on workshop hubs where you can actually make your own bag, leather wallet, or pottery piece to bring home.
Most of them are run by passionate young Singaporeans who simply wanted a physical space to share their love for craft, art, and good design. The result is a community of stores that feel less like shops and more like someone’s beautifully curated living room, where you can chat with the owners, discover artists you’ve never heard of, and walk away with something that genuinely feels one-of-a-kind.
Table of Contents
- Lifestyle stores in Singapore
- 1. Studio Yono
- 2. sideway
- 3. Cat Socrates
- 4. MAKE by GINLEE
- 5. Crafune
- 6. Round&Round Gallery
- 7. Asaru Studio
- 8. Heartware Crafts
- 9. Catalog
- 10. SHRUB
- 11. Frikin Guds
- 12. Rookies & Haus Concept Store
- 13. Knuckles & Notch
- 14. Midnight Dibs Variety Store
- 15. Heartware Store & Gallery
- 16. Open Door Store
- 17. i’mable Collective Space
- 18. Bynd Artisan
- 19. Late Morning
1. Studio Yono
Framed art, zines, stationery & even towels
Tucked inside the new creative cluster New Bahru, Studio Yono is the brainchild of Amsterdam transplant Kaia Nelk, who began the brand in 2022 to bring quirky European art and design objects to Singapore. The space is filled with everything from Ronan Bouroullec art prints to Foekje Fleur’s ceramic vases shaped like plastic trash.
Tiong Bahru regulars will recognise the name from her old spot at the back of Nana & Bird, but this standalone store gives the curation a lot more room to breathe.
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2. sideway
Ceramic pottery in Tiong Bahru Market
Image adapted from: @atthesideway via Instagram
A tiny 96sqft pottery and zakka shop nestled inside Tiong Bahru Market, sideway opened in early 2026 and has quickly become a quiet favourite among craft lovers. Founders Yasha Lai and Keneth Tan, both potters by trade, stock pieces from over a dozen makers, including ceramic artist Hans Chew, indie magazine Mynah, and Yunnan textile dyer Ting Wang.
Items start from $3 for bookmarks, so you don’t need to break the bank to take home something handmade. They only open on weekends, so plan accordingly.
3. Cat Socrates
Cat-themed quirky gift store with local souvenirs
Image adapted from: @cat_socrates via Instagram
A Singapore institution since 2008 and arguably the OG indie lifestyle store, Cat Socrates is where you go when you need a Singlish greeting card, a Peranakan tile coaster, or a quirky cat-shaped soft toy you can’t find anywhere else. Both outlets in Joo Chiat and Tiong Bahru are also home to actual cat shopkeepers who may or may not be in the mood to entertain you.
The store carries everything from books and stationery to handmade jams from local makers, and is honestly one of the best places to grab a souvenir for overseas friends.
4. MAKE by GINLEE
DIY pleated bags that are fashionable & sustainable
Image adapted from: @make_ginlee via Instagram
Sustainability meets fashion at MAKE by GINLEE, where you can watch your pleated bag being steamed and constructed in front of you. Local designer Gin Lee and her Israeli husband Tamir Niv founded the label as an antithesis to fast fashion, where products are only made on demand.
The 1.5-hour MAKE Pleat Bag Experience workshop ($47-$87) lets you pick your fabric, straps, and pleat pattern before steaming it yourself. Great for a chill weekend activity that ends with you carrying a bag you actually made.
5. Crafune
Leather crafting workshops for all sorts of items
Image adapted from: @crafune via Instagram
If working with leather sounds like your kind of zen, Crafune is the place. The homegrown atelier started at Haji Lane and now has a much bigger Parisian-cafe-styled studio at New Bahru, where they run leather crafting workshops daily. You can choose to make a cardholder, coin pouch, or even a bag, and finish off your piece with hot stamping for that personal touch.
Workshops use vegetable-tanned leather, so the quality is solid, and the instructors are super patient even if you’re a complete noob.
6. Round&Round Gallery
Gallery cum community store in Pearl’s Hill Terrace
Image adapted from: @round_and_round.gallery via Instagram
Founded by ex-architectural designer Deng Chao and PhD student Gu Tiantong, Round&Round Gallery is a poetic crafts and objects store with handmade ceramics, glassware, and teaware sourced from artisans across China and Japan. Some are made by 90-year-old ceramics masters, others by PhD design students.
The attached inner.teahouse, run by tea enthusiast Jane Cai, is where you go to actually slow down and experience a guided tea-drinking ritual ($108). Watch out for occasional workshops with visiting artisans as well.
7. Asaru Studio
Hosts various craftsmen for workshops
Asaru means to rummage, to forage, to search or look for.
Image adapted from: @asaru.studio & @abrightplace__, @seisuke_ikeda, @yanmaei_ via Instagram
If you’ve ever wanted a quiet retreat from town that doesn’t involve flying anywhere, Asaru is it. The zen Japanese-Danish studio is part retail, part teahouse. The curation includes Japanese ceramics, leather goods, and ceremonial-grade matcha that’s actually hard to find elsewhere right now. Booking is required for the tea sessions, which give you both light refreshments and store credit you can use on purchases.
8. Heartware Crafts
Beading workshops & tailor-made fashion jewellery
A beading and handmade goods store that’s part of the Pearl’s Hill Terrace community, Heartware Crafts focuses on jewellery making and craft supplies for hobbyists. Pop by if you’re into making your own friendship bracelets, beaded earrings, or other accessories. The small space is run by a passionate jewellery artist who’ll happily talk you through her materials.
9. Catalog
Retro office-themed design goods store
Image adapted from: @peppa_art.png, @funkyorange_ via Instagram
This themed concept store is styled like a retro 1970s office, complete with bright fluorescent lights and a fake LED New York skyline. Founders Diana Yeo and Lee Wenxin opened Catalog, a 100sqft glass-fronted shop in late 2024, to give emerging Southeast Asian designers a real-life retail spot to test their products.
The selection rotates monthly across various creators and indie labels, so you’ll find different stickers, perfume balm keychains, zines, and apparel each visit. Stationery and trinket fans will be in heaven.
10. SHRUB
Featuring zines & Risograph prints from independent artists
Image adapted from: @shrub.0128, @bumhoaxinh via Instagram
Hidden behind a “Teo Locksmith” signboard at Golden Mile Tower is SHRUB, an indie store run by Fern Teo, who inherited the dusty space from their grandparents. The former locksmith shop now houses zines, prints, T-shirts, and odds and ends from independent artists across Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and beyond.
The vibe is intentionally grungy and DIY, and SHRUB regularly hosts pop-ups, gigs, and guest curators. With Golden Mile Tower earmarked for redevelopment, this is a slice of Singapore’s creative underground that won’t be around forever.
11. Frikin Guds
Multilabel indie store with quirky loots
On the 8th floor of Golden Mile Tower, best friends Faizul Helmi and Genevieve Toh run Frikin Guds, a colourful multi-label boutique that curates lifestyle goods from independent brands across the region. Think eco-dyed clothing from Chiang Mai’s Tha Homemade, 3D-printed lamps from Malaysia’s SAD Studio, and small-batch fragrances from local label From Yesterday. Do note that the store is only open on weekends from 2pm to 6pm.
12. Rookies & Haus Concept Store
Vintage clothing store with an integrated coffee shop
Image adapted from: @rookiessg via Instagram
Originally a vintage clothing store at Peninsula Shopping Centre, Rookies got a major glow-up at Golden Mile Tower, with founder Tan Junyu and partner How Suphasiri turning it into a full-blown lifestyle destination. The space combines high-quality vintage workwear, streetwear, and Amekaji fashion with Rookies Studio’s in-house apparel, plus Haus Coffee. The latter is where you can grab their viral banana pudding matcha ($9.50) or iced strawberry matcha ($7.50).
After hours, DJs come in for Sip & Spin sessions, basically turning the store into a hangout spot. Honestly, damn shiok.
13. Knuckles & Notch
Risograph studio, a 2-in-1 gallery & shop
Image adapted from: @knucklesandnotch via Instagram
If you’ve ever wondered what those super colourful, slightly imperfect prints on Instagram are made on, the answer is usually a Risograph machine, and Knuckles & Notch is the studio behind many of them in Singapore. Founded in 2014 by Djohan Hanapi and Goh Yun Jin (Marl), the studio uses an eco-friendly soy-based ink stencil printer to create prints, zines, and merch that have a distinctly tactile, retro feel.
They sell affordable prints ranging from $5 to $80 and run regular workshops where you can learn riso printing, silkscreen printing, or even bookbinding from scratch. The space at Waterloo Centre also doubles as a gallery.
14. Midnight Dibs Variety Store
Cute yet practical charms & keychains
Image adapted from: @midnightdibs via Instagram
Founded by Saraphina, Midnight Dibs started as an online accessories brand built around the idea that jewellery should be gender-neutral. After years of pop-ups, the brand finally launched its physical Midnight Dibs Variety Store (MDVS) at Lavender Street in late 2024, which now features curated finds from small brands and indie makers alongside the original Midnight Dibs collection.
Expect 3D-printed tooth fairy lipbalm holder keychains ($30) adorned with Swarovski crystals, mini fairy necklaces ($20) in gashapon machines, and other whimsical knick-knacks that tap into a soft, magical-girl aesthetic. Note the unusual evening-only hours on weekdays.
15. Heartware Store & Gallery
Featuring pop-ups with quirky artworks from artists all over the world
Image adapted from: @heartware.store via Instagram
Founded by the team behind creative agency Kinetic, Heartware Store & Gallery sits on the 2nd floor of an old Joo Chiat shophouse. The curation philosophy is refreshingly simple: every piece they stock has to actually move their hearts. You’ll find stickers and postcards from $3, larger art prints from $60, and rotating exhibitions in the gallery space.
The shelves are sourced from Carousell finds and old kopitiam display stands, which gives the place a genuine, unfussy feel. Past exhibitions include 555 Mart, Ikuiku Love Hotel, and Hello Singapore!
16. Open Door Store
A community for creative exchanges between design businesses
Tucked inside an industrial building in Tai Seng is Open Door Store, the brainchild of silkscreen printing duo Goh Zhong Ming and Debbie Lee from Konstrukt Laboratories. The 2-storey space looks like a warehouse on the outside, but inside is a vibrant marketplace of T-shirts, zines, ceramics, and tchotchkes by local creatives like New World Plaza and Cruddy.
Decked out with old-school mama shop kiosks and built largely by hand by the owners, it also runs pop-ups, food collabs with local home kitchens, and DJ events. Plans are in the works to add food stations on the ground floor.
17. i’mable Collective Space
Enterprising works from the disabled community
Image adapted from: @wearesupersg via Instagram
Tucked away in Enabling Village’s new Vista block, i’mable Collective Space is the first dedicated showcase in Singapore for pan-disability creatives in design and art. Run by weareSuper – the design-led arm of Supermama – and SG Enable, the 800sqm hub combines 5 different experiences under one roof.
This includes a retail store with goods from over 30 inclusive brands and artists; the Pear Books bookstore focusing on inclusivity titles; the Young Gallery for rotating exhibitions; open studios for creative residencies; and Postboy Coffee for caffeine breaks.
The space also runs hands-on workshops where you can make stationery, fabric-stamped designs, or papier-mache keepsakes. Every dollar you spend here directly supports the disability community, which makes it one of the most meaningful retail spaces in town.
18. Bynd Artisan
Leather & bookbinding atelier
Image adapted from: @byndartisan via Instagram
Born from the legacy of the 70-year-old Goy Liang Book-Making Company, Bynd Artisan is the country’s most well-known leather and bookbinding atelier, and has won both the President’s Design Award and the Singapore Tourism Award for Best Shopping Experience.
The Raffles City store is where you go for the full experience. Pick from a wall of paper, leather, and metal fittings to customise your notebook, then watch a master craftsman put it together in under 30 minutes. Workshops cover everything from basic leather bookbinding ($78) to leather painting ($280) and upcycled accessory crafting ($68).
19. Late Morning
Gorgeous & unique tableware
Image adapted from: @latemorning_official via Instagram
Founder Belinda Chen started Late Morning in 2024 as an online tableware shop before opening her first physical store in Chinatown. The cream-walled, Japandi-leaning space stocks handmade ceramics from artisans across Japan, France, and beyond, with each piece personally sourced.
Think hand-painted porcelain plates, cloud-shaped mugs, and block candles that look like little works of art. There’s also a small coffee bar, living room, serving iced coconut Americano, and the shop is pet-friendly, so feel free to bring your dog along.
Visit one of these lifestyle stores for your next weekend outing
What’s beautiful about all these lifestyle stores in Singapore is how each one reflects the personality and obsessions of the people running them. Whether it’s championing imperfect, DIY-spirited art, imagining a slow-living oasis, or showing what truly inclusive creativity can look like, these spaces are reshaping what shopping in Singapore can feel like.
Many of them sit in older or unexpected buildings, which adds a charm that no shopping mall can really replicate. So next time you’re tempted by another generic chain store run, go down and explore one of these instead. Bring a friend, sign up for a workshop, chat with the owners, and you’ll probably leave with not just a new keepsake but also a much deeper appreciation for the creative scene that’s quietly thriving here. Sib bei worth it.
What are indie design stores in Singapore?
Indie design stores in Singapore are independently-owned retail spaces that focus on curated, often handmade goods from local and regional makers. Unlike chain stores, they typically champion small designers, host pop-ups and workshops, and double as community spaces for the creative scene.
Which indie stores in Singapore offer DIY workshops?
Stores with regular DIY workshops include:
- Crafune for leather crafting
- MAKE by GINLEE for pleated bag making
- Bynd Artisan for bookbinding and leather crafts
- Knuckles & Notch for Risograph and silkscreen printing
Workshop prices vary widely. At Crafune, basic leather accessory workshops start from around $39, while bag-making sessions go up to $200-plus. Knuckles & Notch riso printing workshops start from $80, MAKE by GINLEE pleated bag workshops from $47, and Bynd Artisan workshops from $48. Most studios offer private and corporate sessions on request.
Where can I shop for locally-made goods in Singapore?
Some of the best places to shop for locally-made goods are Cat Socrates, Open Door Store, SHRUB, Heartware Store & Gallery, Sideway at Tiong Bahru Market, and the i’mable Collective Space at Enabling Village. New Bahru in River Valley also houses over 40 home-grown brands under one roof.
What is the best indie creative cluster in Singapore?
The two biggest creative clusters right now are New Bahru in River Valley and 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace, a 1930s former police barracks housing pottery studios, tattoo art jamming spaces, indie boutiques, and tearooms.
Also read: 14 Art & Craft Workshops You Can Redeem Using Your SG Culture Pass To Take Home Something Cool
Cover image adapted from: @latemorning_official, @heartware.store, @knucklesandnotch, @seisuke_ikeda via Instagram