A mama shop or mamak shop (from
Tamil மாமா ''māmā'', meaning ''uncle'' or ''elder'') is a
convenience store
A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...
or sundry shop in Singapore that is often located under a high-rise apartment block built by the
Housing and Development Board (HDB). Traditionally, they are owned and operated by
Indians
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
. Unlike other stores such as
7-Eleven
7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...
, mama shops are not air-conditioned and sell a variety of provisions within their limited area of approximately .
Local residents often make use of mama shops as location markers.
[.]
History
The earliest mama shops were started by the early Indian immigrants who were traders and businessmen. Many eventually became small shopkeepers along
Serangoon Road in the early 20th century. In its early days, the mama shop served mainly villagers in the vicinity. Since the shopkeeper was most likely to be the shop owner, service was rendered largely on a friendly and personal basis. In earlier times many customers were granted unlimited
credit, according to Ubid bin Ibrahim, co-owner of one of the oldest surviving mama shops.
[.] Bargaining, discounting of prices
and personal delivery of goods were also common. Over time, shopkeepers became familiar with customers from the other racial communities, particularly the
Chinese who observed the custom of
reciprocity
Reciprocity may refer to:
Law and trade
* Reciprocity (Canadian politics), free trade with the United States of America
** Reciprocal trade agreement, entered into in order to reduce (or eliminate) tariffs, quotas and other trade restrictions on ...
.
As English was not a commonly spoken tongue back then, the
Malay language served as the main form of communication between them.
When Singapore's population underwent a major resettlement from villages to high-rise flats in the 1960s, many mama shops were relocated to
void decks – open areas on the ground floors of HDB flats. While in the villages they had catered mostly to housewives, they now were frequented by children who would stop at the stores to browse through thrift comics,
[.] inexpensive sweets and cheap stationery. However, the resettlement caused a weakening in what had been a strong sense of community established back in the village, and many mama shops witnessed a loss in an otherwise frequent and loyal patronage.
With the passing of time and increasing modernization, rising competition from air-conditioned mini-marts and upbeat convenience chain stores also dealt a blow to the survival of many traditional mama shops.
References
{{use dmy dates, date=April 2015
Architecture in Singapore
Convenience stores of Singapore