Toast Box with music-inspired theme replaces Music Book Room at Bras Basah Complex

SINGAPORE — A popular coffee joint will replace an iconic bookstore at the Bras Basah Complex on Thursday (June 15).

The Music Book Room, which shuttered at the end of February 2023, has made way for Toast Box.

The bookshop on the first floor of Bras Basah Complex was one of the pioneers at the complex, and a haven of music books, CDs and vinyl records for 43 years.

More than three months after its closure, it is the the aroma of coffee — not the smell of books — which will beckon visitors.

Toast Box's latest and 74th outlet pays homage to the past, and is a toast to the future, the home-grown coffee chain said.

"Bras Basah Complex holds significant cultural value for many Singaporeans. We want to help safeguard this piece of history and offer our customers and future generations the opportunity to partake of this nostalgic experience," Mr Jonathan Quek, 28, Toast Box's managing director, told The Straits Times.

While the menu will be the same, the new outlet evokes an old school charm. In line with its predecessor's music legacy, it carries a music-inspired theme.

Key elements like the facade, signage as well as the flooring and ceiling have been retained, even as new and complementary touches have been added. These include rustic wooden interiors and matching furniture, vinyl records, an antique gramophone and a piano.

Mr Kwek Boon Watt, owner of Music Book Room who rented out the space to the coffee chain, said he is glad that Toast Box has preserved, and will pass on, its music and arts heritage. He added that it fits well into Bras Basah Complex, which is an arts, music and cultural hub.

The 75-year-old believes Toast Box will attract more customers and add new buzz to the complex. He said: "Bras Basah Complex also needs more places where people can rest and enjoy their coffee."

He added: "With many young people turning to e-books, we have seen many bookshops here and around the world calling it a day. There is still a need for bookshops but not so many now."

Built in 1980, Bras Basah Complex was known as the "city of books" with its over 30 bookstores during its heyday from the 80s to the early 2000s. There are only 10 bookstores now, together with 18 art galleries, 14 print shops, 10 music schools, and eight F&B outlets including Toast Box.

Ms Joyce Ong, chairman of the Bras Basah Complex Merchants' Association and owner of the crystal and fengshui shop Gems Shine, said: "It is heartening that Toast Box has preserved the heritage of Music Book Room and Bras Basah Complex's origin as the 'city of books', even though we have evolved over the years.

"With their strong branding and popularity, I hope more customers who appreciate music, books and the arts will visit us."

Toast Box at Bras Basah Complex opens on June 15.

From June 15 to June 17, customers can enjoy traditional kaya toast and small hot kopi/teh at $3, which is usually priced at $4.20. From June 15 to June 28, they can get 10 per cent off any two curry chicken or laksa sets.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.