One by one, the suburbs are upping their shopping street cred, and the latest one is Cheras. Putting it on the map is Big Market, a minimalist retail space (think bare brick walls, concrete floors and lots of light) that acts as a platform for up and coming Malaysian designers to display their wares. And not just fashion, mind you – Big Market stocks handmade, quirkily illustrated notebooks from indie darlings Mossery, alphabet decorations (all found objects) from Miracle Watts, as well as tiny wooden figurines, tailored shirts, vintage cameras, typewriters and even vinyl.
It’s not a huge shop, but it’s cleverly put together with an abundance of white walls, simple drop lighting and plain shelving to better show off the goods. The overall effect is that of a low key gallery, but happily one where you can actually buy any or all of the displayed pieces. Emma Chong