Link to Video Podcast: https://youtu.be/qvIf_NJE0xA?si=RiCMWhQ-KuHDi_sV
Transcript for the Podcast
Max: Welcome to our podcast. I am Max
Hahn: And I am Hahn.
Max: Our group is exploring a second-hand antiques collection shop located on Man Wai Street, Jordan. The shop is within the Man Wah Complex Buildings, a group of eight private housing structures built between 1964-1970. The shop we have chosen serves as a place for individuals to sell their second-hand items (for example vinyls or CD’s) to the shop owner, in exchange for some money. In this video, we aim to explain why this shop will vanish within the next ten years, also assess who is being affected by the shop’s disappearance, and ultimately evaluate the shop’s past and present.
Max: Firstly, the Urban Renewal Authority has announced plans for the redevelopment of the Man Hua Buildings – meaning the complex, as well as our focus, which is our store will likely cease to exist in the next ten years. Neglecting the choices made by government authorities and focusing on our shop specifically, our shop (which allows individuals to sell their second-hand items) will also cease to exist as a result of society’s technological changes. Old shops like our site will become redundant and obsolete with the rise of online trading platforms such as Carousell and Facebook. With online-shopping thrifting being the new trend, individuals no longer need to visit shops like our site to sell items and can simply do so through a click of a button. Hence, the impending disappearance of our site is inevitable, due to technological advances and essentially a lack of demand for such a shop. So it is fair to say that even without the impending demolition of the Man Wah Complex, our shop is unlikely to remain in the next ten years, as it will be rendered obsolete and eliminated in the current trend of technology.
Hahn: Now relating to the shop’s past, this store experienced several changes in businesses, firstly being a recycling shop in the late 2000s, then becoming a foot massage parlour, then a general store in the decade of 2010. The current second-hand antique collection store only opened as of December 2022. Hence the trend of shops in this location typically is of a service nature, most probably to provide the community, to meet their local needs with the resources they have.
Hahn: The shop’s present stage impacts several different stakeholders, with its impending disappearance in the next 10 years. Most prominently, the owner of the shop will be the most significantly impacted, feeling disappointed and frustrated. This is because the owners will be forced to possibly relocate onto an online platform to attract others in selling antique items to them. Moreover, the shop only recently opened, so the owners are heavily affected as they’ll have to move out of the shop with their business interrupted so suddenly. Additionally, individuals who are looking to sell their belongings around the area will experience temporary inconvenience, this is probably as this is the only shop in the region that collects second-hand items. Also, scavengers would lose their source of income, as there are no longer any business shops of this sort to sell their second-hand goods to, in the area. Lastly, since this shop also provides second-hand antiques and sells them to other distributors or interested customers, many of these stakeholders could experience temporary inconvenience as their source of antiques (such as vinyls or CDs) are gone.
Max: As we’ve outlined above, the disappearance of this second-hand antique shop is almost inevitable, but it is also necessary to discuss actions being done about its impending disappearance. In shorter-terms, not much is being done about the shop’s disappearance, as it’s clear in the current age of technological dominance and advance of AI, shops like these will be considered out of date. The owners would also consider aspects such as rent. Why is it necessary to maintain a shop with high costs of rent, when they can easily transition into an online business? Even as of 2024, lots of second-hand items collectors or purchasers use Carousell as an effective and quick platform, with ads and constant posts to attract customers’ attention. As a result, not much is being done about the shop’s disappearance. In the short-term, the owners may seek to prolong this shop’s existence and avoid its obsolescence, perhaps due to personal attachments, personal emotions, and desire to maintain this business physically. However, in the long term, the owners would seek to digitise the business into an online platform.
Hahn: With the modernisation of society, urban spaces (like the site of a second-hand antique store) often remain neglected. The impending disappearance of the Man Wah Complex and the shop in the next 10 years signifies the changing of times, as we progress into a more digital and modern society. Ultimately the physical medium of the shop may no longer exist and many stakeholders would feel disappointed and saddened, but we live in a time where such a stall would be rendered obsolete as it is outdated, not hugely in demand, and can be more efficient. It may physically no longer exist, but it can still exist through a different form on the internet, and allow stakeholders to achieve the same functions of selling second-hand antiques to the owners.
Hahn: Well, that’s it for today in our podcast regarding the impending disappearance of our site. We hope you’ve enjoyed it. Thank you for listening!
Chan Hiu To Max (3036137134)
Tan Yu Hahn (3036181769)