Snack More is a retro snack library in Jurong East
Amid rows of packets stuffed with snacks from one’s childhood, it’s easy to feel a wave of nostalgia. After all, as Marcel Proust or the movie Ratatouille showed us, food has the ability to transport us to days bygone. Evoking that sort of emotion is a reason why Gavin Tan, 35, decided to open Snack More, a hole-in-the-wall old-school snack shop that also doubles as a “snack library” of sorts.
Located in Jurong East’s Yuhua Market, Snack More is home to practically every childhood snack—iced gems, sugar crackers, kuih bangkit, you name it. Actually, it’s likely that most of us can’t properly name those snacks, even if we are familiar with their taste and appearance. This tendency is what inspired Gavin’s snack library concept, where every treat is labelled according to its product name.
Notice how Gavin is wearing a VHS T-shirt. This man loves his nostalgia.
“Most shops don’t label their snacks, so it’s up to the customer to recognise what they look like,” explained Gavin. “Because I label each snack, my customers know the name of what they are buying. And if they’ve never tried it before, the name gives them a better idea about its flavour.”
“Because I label each snack, my customers know the name of what they are buying.”
He then pointed at a colourful love letter-type snack. “For example, if I don’t label this Rainbow Strawberry Stick, you will never know it has a strawberry filling before eating it!”
With the multitude of snacks available at the store, we wanted to know which ones people are most fond of. Gavin noted that the aforementioned iced gems—oval biscuits crowned with icing—are by far the most popular. Other hits include small buns (AKA mini mantou), sultana biscuits, and lemon puffs. Snack More really does provide a comprehensive collection of treats.
Of course, Gavin is under no illusion that he’s some kind of snack archivist—Snack More is first and foremost a business. And so beyond just retro snacks, Gavin has cast his net as wide as possible, offering coffee beans, wholesale drinks, dried foods and more. He has also turned to the Internet to broaden his customer base.
“I’ve got quite a lot of aunties buying from me every day, but most of them live nearby. People from Punggol won’t be coming here,” Gavin chuckled. “So I’ve been focusing on e-commerce, which has a much larger reach.”
Snack More is now on Shopee, foodpanda, and GrabFood, so you can get your retro snack fix from Gavin without travelling to Jurong East. Should you choose to visit this snack library, however, you’ll be rewarded with a trip down memory lane.
And for those with young ones, it may be a good idea to bring them along with you.
“Some parents bring their kids to my stall and tell them ‘see, these are my childhood snacks!’ Then the children will get curious and want to try those,” Gavin said.
“Some parents bring their kids to my stall and tell them ‘see, these are my childhood snacks!’ Then the children will get curious and want to try those.”
If there’s one thing that can bridge generational gaps, it’s the universal love for snacks.
For a story about Gen Z farmers in Singapore, read our Yili Farm feature. For a story about a 30-year-old bakery that specialises in apple crumble, read our Big Bakery feature.
Address: 347 Jurong East Avenue 1, #01-91, Yuhua Market & Hawker Centre, Singapore 600347
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 7am to 4pm
Tel: 8697 8988
Website
Yili Farm: The Gen Z Farmers Behind The Veggies In Your Local Supermarket
Photos taken by Melvin Mak.
This was an independent feature by Eatbook.sg.
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