Having experienced a mega exhilarating 2015, Naiise is concluding the year with a second edition of its annual Christmas pop-up store – A Secret Christmas. The local design-advocating retailer has opened a record of five brick-and-mortar stores and held four pop-up stores this year, with the two newest outlets at Katong I12 and Orchard Gateway being launched in October.
This year-end, Naiise keeps with tradition and return to its roots as its Christmas pop-up store focuses on community building, as a way of thanks and celebrating its followers, partners and network of like-minded independent businesses in Singapore. Located at the heart of Telok Ayer but nestled away from the crowds on the second floor of a beautifully restored shophouse, A Secret Christmas aims to be a secret respite from busy days and crowded streets, designed for people looking for a magical place to unwind this season and get into the mood for Christmas.
Boasting a unique mezzanine and floor-to-ceiling windows with a great view of Telok Ayer Street, the pop-up venue offers over 3,400 square feet of design-focused retail therapy. The store is designed to look and feel like an intimate Speakeasy club, inspired by its handsome interior structure and unusual layout to create a modern-vintage setting that is complimentary to its rich shophouse setting.
A festive palette of dark green and deep red, Christmas décor and lights further capture the Christmas spirit in an unlikely location. The store layout includes multiple nooks and corners, each housing different product categories including food, fashion, books, stationery, Christmas gift sets and cards, and more.
Dennis Tay, the founder of Naiise says, “Each year, the team looks forward to our Christmas popup store because it is most representative of us – our desire to connect with our communities and interact with our consumers, all the way presenting a new face of design that is accessible and relevant to everyone. We had a great time on Dunlop Street last year, and we’re equally in love with our new neighbourhood this year, and we do hope to see more people taking time to participate in our community-focused activities this year.”
Look out for some special initiatives happening with Naiise’s A Secret Christmas:
- A pop-up café will feature a different F&B establishment each week.
- Week 1: InTheBrickYard (baked goods)
- Week 2: Bakes & Crafts (baked goods)
- Week 3: @projectkitchenlust (baked goods)
- Week 4: Pekoe & Imp (tea tastings)
- ArchiWalks tours – a partnership between Naiise and homegrown architecture-focused tour organiser, ArchiWalks – will bring people around the Telok Ayer neighbourhood to encourage discovery of this rich heritage area and kindle a connection with it. These tours will highlight interesting buildings in the area and offer interesting glimpses of history and architecture to the regular layman. ArchiWalks tours are scheduled to run on 28 November, 5 December and 12 December 2015. Register here.
- A Secret Christmas map illustrating Telok Ayer Street and its surrounding Chinatown district can be picked up at A Secret Christmas pop-up store, any Naiise outlet, or at any of the 15 participating outlets when you whisper the secret password “Have a merry Naiise Christmas.” 3,000 copies have been produced by Naiise and they entitle holders to exclusive perks at the following establishments:
- 7Life
- DEN
- Kyō
- Pantler
- Park Bench Deli
- SPR MRKT
- The Flying Squirrel
- Sarnies Cafe
- Mythology Boutique
- Spa haven
- Grain Traders
- Gaest
- Lustre Showroom
- House of Sheens
- Stamping Coffee Ground
- Naiise’s annual charity initiative where shoppers will be able to purchase exclusively designed Christmas cards by Naiise and 11 talented designers and illustrators in its network. All profits will go to Touch Young Arrows (TOUCH Community Services) whose main beneficiaries are children aged six to 12 years old from low-income and/or single-parent families, with a fund raising target of SGD5,000.
- Pass It On, a mailbox project, is a collaboration between Naiise and The Design Society to create and foster interaction between strangers and inspire positive thoughts this festive season. This initiative invites visitors to draw/write an inspiring message on a postcard, and leave it in any mailbox for strangers to read, in the hopes of sparking creativity in everyone.
Last but not least, Naiise will also be inviting shoppers to pen their own Christmas wishes for the year. Sitting on the mezzanine is The Wishing Christmas Tree, where people can leave their Christmas wishes and contact details on the tags provided and hang them on the Christmas Tree. Naiise will make one of the wishes come true at the end of the pop-up store, while strangers can grant someone else’s wish too.
A Secret Christmas is tucked away on Level 2 of 167/169 Telok Ayer Street (above Meatsmith), and like all good secrets, you’ll have to seek it out by locating a sign at Level 1, and following the signs up the stairs (or creaky elevator) to Level 2. The pop-up store will open until 24 December 2015, and is open Mondays to Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free Naiise gift wrapping is available at a dedicated gift wrapping station in-store.
For more updates, follow Naiise on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
