5/5 Leville 4 months ago on Google
One
of
the
most
recognisable
landmarks
in
Tampines,
the
Tampines
Round
Market
&
Food
Centre
and
its
adjacent
shophouses
have
served
as
a
social
and
commercial
hub
for
Tampines
residents
since
its
opening
in
1983.
In
the
early
1980s,
HDB
envisioned
the
phasing
out
of
traditional
wet
markets
in
response
to
changing
lifestyles
and
the
growing
popularity
of
supermarkets.
Hence,
the
Round
Market
was
expected
to
be
one
of
the
last
few
wet
markets
to
be
built.
However,
wet
markets
continued
to
be
popular
with
residents
and
HDB
reintroduced
them
in
the
late
2000s.
The
market
is
surrounded
by
a
ring
of
shophouses
occupied
by
businesses
such
as
clinics,
bicycle
shops,
bakeries
and
hair
salons,
comprising
a
mix
of
amenities
and
services
commonly
found
in
neighbourhood
centres.
While
the
market’s
hawkers
draw
customers
from
all
over
the
island
with
the
quality
of
their
food,
nearby
banks
and
shops
made
this
area
a
bustling
hive
of
activity,
especially
before
the
massive
shopping
malls
in
Tampines
Central
were
developed.
There
is
also
a
strong
sense
of
camaraderie
amongst
the
hawkers
at
the
market
–
some
of
whom
have
been
operating
their
stalls
for
more
than
three
decades.
Part
of
this
rapport
springs
from
the
fact
that
72
stallholders
relocated
to
Tampines
as
a
group
in
1983,
after
the
market
and
hawker
centre
at
Block
176
in
Toa
Payoh
Lorong
2
was
demolished
to
make
way
for
an
MRT
line.
