The end of an era: PS. Cafe Petit at Tiong Bahru to close end October after 13 years

Mention Singapore's bustling cafe scene and one of the first places that probably comes to mind is the PS. Cafe chain. 

While they have multiple outlets, one of the more notable ones is at Tiong Bahru, where it has been operating for 13 long years. 

But their time there will be coming to an end very soon. 

In a post on the Facebook page Tiong Bahru Estate, netizen Alan shared a notice inside the cafe which said that it will be shuttering for good. 

Its last day will be on Oct 31. 

"Over the past 13 years, our journey with you, our wonderful community of friends, has been nothing short of extraordinary," the cafe wrote. 

"What started as a small test kitchen has blossomed into a beloved gathering place that has welcomed countless residents, both past and present." 

The cafe did not mention the reason for its closure, but said that customers could visit their other outlets instead. 

"It's time for a change, but let's not call it a goodbye," they said. 

In response to the sad news, Alan thanked PS. Cafe for the memories and said that the Tiong Bahru community will miss them. 

"It isn't quite the same elsewhere but we do appreciate [that] you decided to give our sleepy neighbourhood a try back in the days.

"It was a refreshing change for us. And we embraced you like our own since," he wrote in the Facebook post. 

In the comments of the post, other sad residents mourned over the bad news. 

The Tiong Bahru outlet is called PS. Cafe Petit and is a little different from the other outlets as it was the brand's first gourmet takeaway and retail concept that offers traditional fast foods like pizza, burgers and salads. 

AsiaOne has reached out to PS. Cafe more details. 

They started out as fashion label

Would you have guessed that PS. Cafe actually started out as a humble clothing store a little over three decades ago? 

Yes, it was once a homegrown fashion label called Projectshop which was helmed by co-founders – Peter Teo, Philip Chin, and Richard Chamberlain. 

Both Peter and Philip had been keen on opening a cafe for quite some time so eventually, they fulfilled this dream by launching Blood Cafe, which was housed in the Projectshop outlet at Paragon shopping centre. 

The business was affected by the Asian financial crisis and during this period, the trio realised that doing food and fashion together was too taxing. 

So, they let go of the fashion arm of the business and focused on food. 

In 2005, they opened another cafe at Harding Road with the name PS. Cafe and over the years, they opened several more across Singapore, including Tiong Bahru. 

ALSO READ: Popular bar Jekyll & Hyde to close after a decade, last day in December

melissateo@asiaone.com