Collectors in Singapore are no strangers to Simply Toys, a familiar fixture on level seven of Plaza Singapura for the past 18 years.
On Sunday (Aug 16), the collectible toy store quietly shuttered its store at the location, marking the end of a chapter that began in 2008.
The outlet was the retailer’s first store.
In an Instagram post on the day of closure, Simply Toys looked back on its journey at the mall, sharing several memories and milestones.
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In the post were photos of when the store first opened, the brand’s old logo and packed product launches.
The retailer also recalled a visit by original Funko founder Mike Becker in 2018, sharing a photo of him with fans against a wall lined with Funko Pop! figurines.
In the carousel post, Simply Toys also shared how it went through several changes — which all took place on level seven of Plaza Singapura.
In 2023, it shifted into a smaller outlet. Two years later, it took up another space with plans to convert it into three concept stores.
However, the plan eventually failed to go through as the mall was undergoing asset enhancement initiative works and the store could not extend its lease to carry out renovations.
Instead, the space remained a pop-up store using its existing fixtures for over a year, said the retailer.
The post also revealed that the brand’s sister company — Toy Outpost — which opened in 2008, has shuttered its outlet on the same floor.
In the accompanying caption, Simply Toys thanked Golden Village Pictures for “keeping rent affordable all these years”, adding that the gesture enabled collectors in Singapore to “experience a nice cluster of collectible stores for so many years”.
The retailer also thanked customers for their support, saying: “We had our ups and downs, had to evolve with market changes. Angered some old collectors for not [being] able to bring in what they like — just to survive.”
“Nevertheless, thank you for shopping with us in the past and now,” it continued.
The brand then revealed that it will still continue to operate in the same mall — just on a different floor.
Noting that its story in Plaza Singapura “is not over” yet, the retailer announced that it will be moving to a new location in level three of the mall come October.
The announcement drew nostalgic reactions from customers, with many taking to the comments section to share their own memories of the store.
“Gonna miss the place. Created many memories there browsing and buying the Funkos during my younger days. Thank you for the memories,” one comment read, while another said: “So many memories, the Plaza Singapura outlet is always my go-to outlet because it’s on the way home for me. Looking forward to the re-opening!”
First opened in 2008, Simply Toys is a Singapore-based distributor specialising in toys, collectibles and pop culture goods.
With the closure of its Plaza Singapura outlet, it currently has five physical stores and a concept store called Simply Zakka, which focuses on Japanese pop culture merchandise, in Singapore.
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carol.ong@asiaone.com
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