A Dying Trade

Traditional street cobblers are now rarely seen in Singapore as we continue the march towards commercialism and modernity.

Although the nature of their work is informal and humble, it is important for us to remember that these cobblers bear testimony to the entrepreneurial spirit of our city-state and are part of a rich cultural heritage to the early years of Singapore. 


We are fortunate to locate a traditional cobbler in the heartland- Teck Whye Lane. Kindly look at my video for the interview we had with Cobbler Zhang. 

Front-Loaded Story (by Derek Khor)

Our idea was inspired by the barber story regarding the vanishing trades in Singapore. After brainstorming, we decided on the street cobbler as it fits the theme we wanted to work on. We felt that it is crucial to highlight this vanishing trade as many of our younger generations are unaware of such informal services. Street cobbling can be considered as a dirty and difficult job in which many are not keen to work as. Moreover, the income source varies daily.

Street cobbling is a fading trade due to the urbanization and availability of modern cobbling services throughout the island. Such modern cobbling has sophisticated equipment and provides more services such as shoe polishing which street cobblers do not provide. 

One of our group members is aware of this service at Teck Whye Lane and approached the cobbler for his permission before we headed down for the interview. The street cobbler, who wished to be identified as Mr Zhang, is 67 years old this year and has been in this trade for 23 years. The interview was carried out in Mandarin and he was not shy to share his experiences as well as his family background to us. 

At the Scene (by Nur Azhar)

Upon reaching where Mr Zhang does his cobbling services along Blk 142 Teck Whye Lane’s lift lobby, we noticed that he had already set up his stall. He was waiting for customers at 10 minutes to 8am even though his opening hour starts at 8am as indicated on a piece of cardboard, hanging on the pipe.  As we scanned through his work area, we found old tins and cardboard boxes which he uses for storage of his tools. We also spotted a small work bench where he places his tools such as the hammer, drill and many nails.

During our interview which took about 25 minutes, we were perspiring due to the still air. Moreover, there was also a pungent smell coming from the garbage bin nearby. With that, we experienced a snippet of his daily life.  

While we were waiting for customers to interview, a passer-by in his early 60s came and had a chat with Mr Zhang. He shared about Mr Zhang’s medical condition and commented that cobbling is a job that no one wants to do. He also gave praises to Mr Zhang for continuing this trade. 

The Unspoken Truth (by Shi Ting)

One aspect which we did not cover in the video report is the collection of the mended shoes. Customers who send their shoes for mending are required to collect within 2 days. Mr Zhang mentioned that any shoes which are not collected by then will be forfeited. He explained that he does not have sufficient space to keep all uncollected shoes. He added that some of the shoes, which he identifies as expensive, were brought home for safe-keeping. He would bring them back the next day, hoping for the customer to collect.


Even though he stated that the shoes will be forfeited, he did not have any bad intention. He did this as he does not have sufficient space to store the mended shoes. Quoting one incident, he mentioned that he said that he is still holding on to a pair of shoes that he mended a month ago.

From his actions, it clearly shows his sense of responsibility and his professionalism in what he does. We were deeply moved by his commitments.