No Rumours. We’re Really Leaving.

by Arnaud | Jun 20, 2026 | Events, Taste

5 min read

No Rumours. We’re Really Leaving.

When landlord collaborations are not meant to be.
Well, it’s official. Kasturi is really, really closing.

LISETTE

For a while, I genuinely thought we could save it. Not by fighting, but by collaborating. The idea was simple: work together with the temple, bring in partners, create a destination that would benefit everyone and give this iconic corner of the street a new lease of life. We were ready. We had ideas, energy and even potential collaborators lined up.

Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.
The reality is that sometimes people see potential, and sometimes they simply see square footage and rental income. A tenant willing to pay more came along, and our story at Kasturi came to an end. It’s disappointing, especially because I truly believe we could have created something magical together.

The surprising part was what happened next. Our Instagram call for collaborators was met with an overwhelming response. Restaurants, retailers and creative entrepreneurs reached out with ideas and encouragement. We even found a partner, Kopi Hut, that I think would have made an incredible addition to the space. I would have loved to see that collaboration come to life. Perhaps in another place and another time.

Kasturi has become more than just a shop. It’s part of the neighbourhood. A place where people discovered NALA, found unexpected treasures, had coffee, attended events and became part of our community. Seeing it go is bittersweet.

But there’s one thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur. Sometimes you don’t get to choose the ending. You only get to choose how you leave.

So we’re leaving with colour, optimism and one final celebration. Our sale continues until the 28th, and we’re clearing fashion, homewares, furniture and some of the pieces that have made Kasturi so memorable. If you’ve been meaning to visit, this is your chance.

Come and wander through the space one last time. Shop your heart out, take home a piece of NALA history and help us give Kasturi the farewell it deserves.

Some collaborations are meant to happen. Others simply aren’t. Onwards and upwards.

Guerrilla Marketing in Singapore (And Why It Works)

by Arnaud | Jun 20, 2026 | Events, Travel

5 min read

Guerrilla Marketing in Singapore (And Why It Works)

Singapore isn’t exactly famous for breaking the rules. Which is precisely why we decided to do it.

LISETTE

To kick off our BYE BUY Sale at Tanglin, we gave our team a slightly unusual assignment. Instead of waiting for customers to find us, we went out to find them. We dressed up the bus stop outside the shop with our colourful pillows, handed out flyers and turned an ordinary commute into something a little more joyful. We kept going until the security guards politely informed us that perhaps this wasn’t entirely according to plan.

It was brilliant.

The team wasn’t quite used to this way of thinking. At first there was a bit of hesitation, but once they saw people smiling, stopping and asking questions, they got into the spirit of it. The result? Our pillows sold out within days. Sadly, our little bus stop installation has retired, so we’ll have to come up with new ideas for the rest of the sale.

It’s a good reminder that sometimes the best marketing isn’t the biggest campaign or the most expensive advertisement. Sometimes it’s simply doing something unexpected. Breaking the norm, starting a conversation and making people smile.

Our BYE BUY Sale at Tanglin continues until the 28th, and there are still plenty of treasures to discover. Leather bags are 20% off when you buy two, T shirts are two for $50, scarves, garments and art pieces have bundle discounts, and there are special promotions across homewares and estate pieces.

Tanglin may be saying goodbye, but we’re determined to make sure it goes out with a bang. And who knows? We might just bend a few more rules before the doors close for good.

Amsterdam, Beyond the Postcard

by Arnaud | Jun 16, 2026 | Events, Taste

5 min read

Amsterdam, Beyond the Postcard

Whenever people hear I’m going to Amsterdam, the same things come up. Bicycles. Canals. Coffee shops.
But within a few hours of arriving, I’m reminded that the city’s real magic lies somewhere else entirely.

LISETTE

Amsterdam is a city best explored on foot. Walking through it feels like wandering through an open air museum, where every street reveals another beautiful facade, another perfect window, another carefully tended garden. The houses seem to compete, not in grandeur, but in charm.

What always strikes me is the abundance of flowers. Roses climb up historic facades, fig trees stand proudly in front gardens, and window boxes overflow with seasonal blooms. It’s impossible not to notice that flowers are woven into Dutch life. They aren’t reserved for special occasions. They’re part of the everyday. Real flowers, fresh flowers, growing wherever they can, making ordinary streets feel extraordinary.

The same philosophy extends indoors. Peek through a window and you’ll often spot a vase of fresh flowers on a table or desk. It’s a small detail, but it says something about the Dutch approach to beauty. You don’t wait for a celebration. You simply make everyday life a little more beautiful.

And then there are the signs.

Without stepping into a single shop, Amsterdam offers a masterclass in typography. Traditional cafés and bars still proudly display their names in hand painted lettering, often in the famous Amsterdamse Krulletter, or Amsterdam Curly Letter. Developed in the 1940s and perfected by generations of Dutch sign painters, these elegant swirls and flourishes have become part of the city’s identity, decorating windows and facades with a craftsmanship that refuses to disappear. It’s a wonderful reminder that even something as practical as a shop sign can become a work of art.

I arrived yesterday to one of those perfect postcard days. Soft clouds drifting across a blue sky, bicycles quietly passing by, roses in full bloom and beautiful hand painted signs catching the afternoon light. There was no need to visit a museum or gallery. The city itself was enough.

Perhaps that’s what I love most about Amsterdam. It doesn’t separate art from everyday life. Flowers belong on the streets. Beautiful lettering belongs on shop windows. Historic houses are meant to be lived in. Beauty isn’t hidden away. It’s simply part of the daily routine.

And maybe that’s the best souvenir the Dutch have to offer: the idea that ordinary life deserves extraordinary care.

The shop that didn’t know your name

by Arnaud | Jun 9, 2026 | Events

5 min read

The shop that didn't know your name

There’s an old saying in retail that people don’t remember what they bought. They remember how they felt.

LISETTE

Over the past few months, we’ve had the privilege of running three very different shops in Singapore. Each one taught us something new about business, about people, and about ourselves.

And one lesson stood out above all others.

A shop has to know your name.

We’ve made the decision not to renew our Tanglin store, and at the end of June we’ll be closing its doors. From the 15th until the 28th of June, we’ll be having a clearance sale, with wonderful bargains and plenty of surprises. We’d love for you to come by and help us celebrate the end of this chapter.

The funny thing is, I don’t see this as a failure. I see it as an education.

Tanglin gave us the opportunity to test a new market and to understand what works and, equally importantly, what doesn’t.

Beautiful interiors matter.
Beautiful products matter.
Good design always matters.
But they’re only part of the story.

A successful shop needs something much harder to create. It needs people. It needs consistency. It needs warmth. It needs the feeling that someone is genuinely happy to see you walk through the door.

It needs to know your name.

As a business owner, I also have to take responsibility for the decisions that didn’t work. We learned some difficult lessons along the way, particularly about the importance of having the right people representing the brand every single day.

Those lessons weren’t cheap.
But they were valuable.

Today, we have an incredible team, and we’ve decided to focus our energy where we can make the biggest difference. Great World and TANGS are becoming exactly what we always hoped for: neighbourhood shops where you’ll be greeted with a smile, where someone remembers your favourite print, and where the experience is every bit as important as the product itself.

So this isn’t really goodbye.
It’s a decision to slow down, consolidate, and build something stronger.
Will we return to Tanglin one day? I certainly hope so.

But next time, we’ll know that a beautiful shop is only the beginning. The real magic happens when the people inside make you feel like you belong.

After all, the best shops don’t just know what you bought.

They know your name.

BYE BUY ✨

by Arnaud | May 29, 2026 | Events

5 min read

BYE BUY ✨

Three years ago, NALA moved into a sprawling 10,000 sq ft space at Kasturi and quietly built a universe inside it. What started as a shop slowly became something much bigger: part studio, part playground, part living archive. There were shoots, markets, exhibitions, late nights, coffee mornings, impossible installations, way too many cushions, and a beautiful amount of chaos in between. This Friday’s newsletter is a little reflection on that chapter, with photographs of where it all began and everything we somehow managed to build inside those walls.

LISETTE

Now, after an unforgettable three years, we are preparing for a different season. NALA will remain at Kasturi, but in a much smaller and far more intimate 2,000 sq ft space within the building itself. Which also means that a large part of what currently exists simply cannot come with us.

So beginning this Saturday, we are opening the doors to BYE BUY, a month long sale filled with archive pieces, samples, hidden gems, last pieces, beautiful mistakes, and objects we have loved for years. Part clearance, part treasure hunt, part goodbye to a space that gave us more memories than we could ever fit into a newsletter.

We are also looking for someone who may want to share this extraordinary 10,000 sq ft space with us moving forward, while NALA retains a smaller 2,000 sq ft footprint within it. A restaurant, café, gallery, bookstore, creative studio, or another beautiful retail concept could feel very at home here. The temple behind the building, which has been our landlord throughout this journey, has been incredibly supportive over the years, and we would be happy to connect the right tenant directly.

This weekend will also mark another goodbye, as Ghostbird Coffee will be serving their final coffees in the space, with Sunday being their last day here. So if you have not visited in a while, this feels like the moment to come by. Have one last coffee, wander through the store one more time, and take in this strange and beautiful chapter before it changes shape. The sale itself will continue until the end of June, but this weekend feels like the closing of an era.

And while this chapter is becoming smaller physically, something else is quietly growing behind the scenes. A new location. A new energy. A new universe that we cannot wait to share when the time is right.

BYE BUY
The Big to Beautiful Sale

Starts Saturday, 30 May
Until 30 June
Kasturi Walk

Tangs Card Days about to get chaotic

by Arnaud | May 28, 2026 | Events

5 min read

Tangs Card Day is going to be chaotic

TANGS Card Day weekends are always slightly crazy in the best possible way,
and this Friday and Saturday will be no different.

LISETTE

The team will all be there, Kartini will be there, the energy will be high, and we are bringing out quite a few special offers as well, including Estate pieces at 40% off and a special Buy One Free One rack that will probably disappear very quickly.

Most importantly, I will personally be at TANGS on Friday for complimentary bag personalisation, so if you would like to come by, say hello, and leave with something a little more personal, this is your moment.

✨ Friday, 29 May
•⁠ ⁠Meet the founder from 10am to 4pm
•⁠ ⁠Complimentary personalisation with up to 3 initials
•⁠ ⁠Free bag strap with purchases of SGD99 and above
•⁠ ⁠12% rebate for TANGS members

✨ Saturday, 30 May
•⁠ ⁠TANGS Card Day continues
•⁠ ⁠Free bag strap with purchases of SGD99 and above
•⁠ ⁠12% rebate for TANGS members
•⁠ ⁠Estate collection at 40% off
•⁠ ⁠Buy One Free One special rack

If you are in Singapore this weekend, come over. It is going to be a lot of fun.

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