Lim Seah Seng started working at Lim Kay Khee Optical House at the age of six, and is among the few opticians in Singapore who still customises spectacle frames manually.
It’s 2023 and buying spectacles has never been this easy. You can pop by any optical shop in the mall and help yourselves to shelves upon shelves of frames. A new pair of prescription glasses can be ready in as little as 20 minutes.
In the olden days, the shop came through for short-sighted children who could not afford spectacles. Students could exchange a letter from the school for a pair of prescription glasses – no questions asked.WHERE OPTOMETRY MEETS ARTISTRY He shoved a pair of asymmetrical sunglasses in my direction – one rim was round and the other was triangular. After seeing someone rock it at the National Day Parade, Mr Lim recreated it. “Looks funny, right? Even ordinary folks can turn heads on the street when they wear these.”
But that isn’t the only lost art here. The optical shop used to dye sunglasses manually, too. Customers would choose from over 30 lens colour samples, and Mr Lim would deliver in two days. However, he feels no nostalgia for the painstaking process. “Most shops out there will not tell you. They would rather not because you will have second thoughts. With my customers, I usually overstate the expected thickness so I have some buffer to work with. If I can achieve a thinner lens, I’m happy and they’re happy.”
Mr Lim’s wide selection of designs remains a draw, which explains why he would rather invest in the shop’s variety than its appearance. Besides, customers have made their case against modernisation.Neatly labelled boxes of spectacles line the wall of the store. “Some of them say: Uncle, please don’t renovate the shop. It’s a headache for me. If I renovate it, it’ll cost money. If I don’t, it looks dowdy. To each his own. Some customers like the nostalgic look but others find it cluttered.
In the 1960s, a pair of glasses cost as little as S$8. Balestier Road had only two lanes, and children played marbles on the five-foot way. Pasar malams lined the street every Monday, and footfall was never a question for the optical shop.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
![[Video] Check out newly-revamped Shaw Theatres Balestier in 45 seconds](https://i.headtopics.com/images/2023/3/31/todayonline/video-check-out-newly-revamped-shaw-theatres-bales-video-check-out-newly-revamped-shaw-theatres-bales-1641629022747762688.webp?w=640)
[Video] Check out newly-revamped Shaw Theatres Balestier in 45 secondsThere are a lot of promotions between Mar 30 and Apr 9.
Read more »
16-month-old boy shot dead by his 5-year-old brother in Indiana, police sayThe five-year-old who shot the baby was able to gain access to a handgun in an apartment. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
SBS Transit launches new road safety campaignBuses have wide and large windscreens, as well as sizable side mirrors. You’d expect excellent all-round visibility, and thus good overall spatial awareness of the Bus Captain’s surroundings, right? Despite the cameras and the glass, omnibuses actually have not-insignificant blind spots. And this is a message that SBS Transit wanted to send across to the general public. At a road...
Read more »
Van catches fire along Corporation RoadA van caught fire at the junction of Boon Lay Way and Corporation Road on Thursday morning (Mar 30). Read more at stomp.straitstimes.com
Read more »
Sold for $61.1m: Proceeds from sale of Dick Lee family's bungalows going to charityTHREE adjoining freehold bungalows at 10/10A Chancery Hill Road, 12 Chancery Hill Road and 14/14A Dyson Road were sold for $61.1 million, consultancy Cushman & Wakefield said on Friday (March 31). The buyer is a subsidiary company of Sustained Land, a property developer founded and owned by Douglas Ong. All proceeds of the sale will go to registered charities, which...
Read more »