Behind The Food

Snack More: Nostalgic Snack Library In Jurong Run By A Millennial

Snack More is a retro snack library in Jurong East

Amid rows of packets stuffed with snacks from oneā€™s childhood, itā€™s easy to feel a wave of nostalgia. After all, as Marcel Proust or the movie Ratatouille showed us, food has the ability to transport us to days bygone. Evoking that sort of emotion is a reason why Gavin Tan, 35, decided to open Snack More, a hole-in-the-wall old-school snack shop that also doubles as a ā€œsnack libraryā€ of sorts.

Located in Jurong Eastā€™s Yuhua Market, Snack More is home to practically every childhood snackā€”iced gems, sugar crackers, kuih bangkit, you name it. Actually, itā€™s likely that most of us canā€™t properly name those snacks, even if we are familiar with their taste and appearance. This tendency is what inspired Gavinā€™s snack library concept, where every treat is labelled according to its product name.

Notice how Gavin is wearing a VHS T-shirt. This man loves his nostalgia.

ā€œMost shops donā€™t label their snacks, so itā€™s up to the customer to recognise what they look like,ā€ explained Gavin. ā€œBecause I label each snack, my customers know the name of what they are buying. And if theyā€™ve never tried it before, the name gives them a better idea about its flavour.ā€

ā€œBecause I label each snack, my customers know the name of what they are buying.ā€

He then pointed at a colourful love letter-type snack. ā€œFor example, if I donā€™t label this Rainbow Strawberry Stick, you will never know it has a strawberry filling before eating it!ā€

With the multitude of snacks available at the store, we wanted to know which ones people are most fond of. Gavin noted that the aforementioned iced gemsā€”oval biscuits crowned with icingā€”are by far the most popular. Other hits include small buns (AKA mini mantou), sultana biscuits, and lemon puffs. Snack More really does provide a comprehensive collection of treats.

Of course, Gavin is under no illusion that heā€™s some kind of snack archivistā€”Snack More is first and foremost a business. And so beyond just retro snacks, Gavin has cast his net as wide as possible, offering coffee beans, wholesale drinks, dried foods and more. He has also turned to the Internet to broaden his customer base.

ā€œIā€™ve got quite a lot of aunties buying from me every day, but most of them live nearby. People from Punggol wonā€™t be coming here,ā€ Gavin chuckled. ā€œSo Iā€™ve been focusing on e-commerce, which has a much larger reach.ā€

Snack More is now on Shopee, foodpanda, and GrabFood, so you can get your retro snack fix from Gavin without travelling to Jurong East. Should you choose to visit this snack library, however, youā€™ll be rewarded with a trip down memory lane.

And for those with young ones, it may be a good idea to bring them along with you.

ā€œSome parents bring their kids to my stall and tell them ā€˜see, these are my childhood snacks!ā€™ Then the children will get curious and want to try those,ā€ Gavin said.

ā€œSome parents bring their kids to my stall and tell them ā€˜see, these are my childhood snacks!ā€™ Then the children will get curious and want to try those.ā€

If thereā€™s one thing that can bridge generational gaps, itā€™s the universal love for snacks.

For a story about Gen Z farmers in Singapore, read our Yili Farm feature. For a story about a 30-year-old bakery that specialises in apple crumble, read our Big Bakery feature.

Address: 347 Jurong East Avenue 1, #01-91, Yuhua Market & Hawker Centre, Singapore 600347
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 7am to 4pm
Tel: 8697 8988
Website

Photos taken by Melvin Mak.
This was an independent feature by Eatbook.sg.

Enze Kay

chicken, broccoli, and everything

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Enze Kay

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