The cafe scene in Singapore may be booming but at the beginning of it all, one cafe made everyone pay attention to Tiong Bahru before it was hip: Forty Hands.
In a bittersweet note on Facebook, the cafe announced that it was officially closing its two outlets – both equally popular – in Tiong Bahru and East Coast from Sept. 12.
Forty Hands has always been regarded as one of the OG cafes in Singapore, way before the island had an established cafe culture.
The first store opened in October 2010 in pre-gentrified Tiong Bahru and introduced Aussie-inspired brunches and cafe-style coffee to Singapore. These days, anyone can grab a piccolo latte (with oat milk) from almost every corner in Singapore.
Forty Hands, along with Books Actually were two reasons people started flocking to Tiong Bahru in that period before it eventually became officially cool.
The note read:
“When we first opened in October 2010, our mission was simple: to introduce great specialty coffee to the local scene.”
“Over time, that ethos has evolved to become so much more than just fresh brews and fabulous food. We’ve had the privilege of building countless friendships with many who have walked through our doors, becoming a warm welcome from your second home.”
“As much as we’d love for it to go on forever, we have decided to officially close our Tiong Bahru and East Coast cafes from 12 Sep 2022.”
They also reminded fans and patrons that the sister brand (and where they get their beans from), Common Man Cofee will still be around.
“It’s been an absolute honour serving our community these past 12 years, and if the future is made of the same stuff as the present, you may just find our next big brew shining in the distance,” the cafe said, hinting at a possible comeback in the future.
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