Memory @ Haji Lane

Photo Credit: National Library Board

Photo Credit: onionstar.wordpress.com

Photo Credit: Danny St Photography

Inside Memory Lane @ Haji Lane

A nod to our namesake, Memory Lane Tattoo Studio is now a proud member of the Kampong Glam Heritage Trial. Since 1822, Sir Stamford Raffles has designated Kampong Glam as the living quarters for the Muslim, Arab and Bugis people. Incidentally, the name of our studio and the place we reside in uses the phrase “lane”, which means a “narrow country road”, and Haji Lane is Singapore’s narrowest road around.
 
Over the years, Haji Lane has been many things to the Muslim community.

From the 1800s to 1960s, the shophouses of Haji Lane were most commonly used as lodges for Hajj pilgrims whilst on their journeys. During their stay, the pilgrims would work close by as hawkers in order to save enough money to continue the rest of their journeys.

Then from the 1960s-1970s, Haji Lane provided shophouse homes for poorer Malay families; and after the 1970s, Haji Lane basically became just a row of empty shophouses. The ones that were occupied were used as storage spaces.  

The whole Haji Lane area was totally dead...until the 2000s, when Café le Caire came in 2001 which brought some life back with their al fresco dinning and hookah. Haji Lane slowly became a hot spot for the hippie and fashionable, and today, it is a vibrant little street with quaint little shops selling an assortment of knick-knacks and a plethora of dinning options…not to mention tattoos!
 
So, if you’re looking for a good spot to chill, and perhaps, get a tattoo or two, where else do you need to go? Drop on in at Haji Lane and top up on ink at Memory Lane Tattoo Studio today!