Kin Soon Pte Ltd - House of Ribbons

location

36 Arab Street, Singapore 199735
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The Close-Knit Knot of Kampong Gelam

Name of business:Kin Soon Pte Ltd - House of Ribbons
Other names of business: 欽順私人有限公司
Business location:36 Arab Street, Singapore 199735
Business type:Haberdashery
Established:1975

Kin Soon Pte Ltd - House of Ribbons, founded in 1975 by Mr Seah Seow Hor and now run by his daughters, Ms Terina Seah and Ms Tracy Seah, specialises in high-quality satin ribbons and custom ribbon printing. Kin Soon was established in Kampong Gelam's Arab Street area, where Ms Terina's great-grandfather had set up a shop called Soon Lee, which later became Kin Lee under her grandfather's management. When Ms Terina's father started his business, he took half of each name, forming Kin Soon.

Kin Soon initially sold decorative ribbons and exported products to Malaysia and Indonesia. To differentiate themselves from competition, they shifted towards selling ribbons for functional purposes and diversified their products to include other types of packaging materials. Today, they supply wholesale products to companies in the hospitality and food & beverage industries. Their resilience can be attributed to Ms Terina's readiness to make changes, such as using technology to streamline operations and respond quickly to customer requests.

Although transitioning online is the next natural step, the human aspect of the brick-and-mortar shop is irreplaceable. Many customers enjoy visiting Kin Soon's shop because of the experience it offers. The ties that bind Ms Terina's family to Kin Soon and Kampong Gelam are tight, with long relationships formed between businesses in the area. Despite witnessing many changes, Ms Terina remains hopeful about the future of Kin Soon and plans to further digitise the business while drawing out the local elements of the Minton brand.