She would wake up at 4am to browse for a place to move to. Her efforts have since paid off as she signed a contract to move into Punggol Golf Driving Range the same afternoon she spoke to CNA.
CONCERNS ABOUT CUSTOMERS
But Punggol East container park has a “different feeling” and customers enjoy it even though it is outdoors.
“You won’t need an aircon because you will feel the nature, the birds and everything. Even sometimes bees and butterflies. It’s really out of the city vibe where they can relax,” she said.
She has received waves of customers since opening at the container park, including some from across the Causeway.
“We’re really gonna miss the community we built here,” she said.
Mr Vincent Low, co-founder of Kim Kao Mai Thai restaurant, which sells Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese food, was similarly concerned about his customer base.
He has run his eatery at the container park for nine years and moving out now would mean starting from scratch again and rebuilding customer trust.
He estimated that 90 per cent of his customers lived in the northeast. “We can still have our brand in the west, but … we are new to them,” said Mr Low, who worried that distance would make it difficult for existing customers to follow the business.
“Sad to say, it might not be so easy to find the right place for us to build up this whole thing … I’m angry and sad that we got such a short notice; sad to leave all the customers after so nine years. What can we do?”
Another tenant, Play! Pickle, which provides pickleball lessons and leases out courts in Punggol, Serangoon and Chai Chee, told CNA that its Punggol venue is the largest and the most frequented by customers.
It has six double indoor courts and a singles indoor court, as well as an outdoor court, founder Darren Teo said.
He opened the Punggol branch in December 2024 and said his tenancy was until Dec 10, 2026. The notice to vacate the premises ahead of time came as a surprise.
“We are, of course, heavy-hearted as we have built a vibrant community of pickleball lovers here,” said Mr Teo, adding that he enjoyed the “village vibe” of the container park.
“We … asked for clarification on why we have to cease operations and hand over the premises by Oct 31, 2026. But there has been no response from them so far,” Mr Teo said.
He intends to operate the Punggol branch until the end of October and is preparing for the handover. Moving forward, he will concentrate on his remaining two branches.
“Our regulars have definitely reacted with dismay, with many lamenting the closure of a place they have called a home base for their pickleball gatherings.
“While we are sad to leave Tebing Lane, we are happy to have created a welcoming, social and vibrant community for pickleball fans young and old, beginner and experienced.”