How a local video rental store in Serangoon North survived the advent of streaming and became a popular trading card game community spot
Rowell has been in business since 1986 and switched to card games in 1997, and recently moved from its old home in Ave 1 to Serangoon North Ave 3.
SINGAPORE – A long time fixture in my neighbourhood at Serangoon North, Rowell Video was one store I would walk past to get breakfast. While it originally sold video tapes, laser discs (remember those?) and DVDs, Rowell survived the start of the online boom and later streaming years by pivoting to selling collectable card games.
It felt like the shop had been around forever, so imagine my surprise when I noticed the shutters were closed, and had been closed for a while. Curious, I looked closer and saw a sign that the store had moved.
I'll be honest here, Rowell Video was never on my radar. Sure, I've seen the kids gathered outside the store, sitting on flimsy tables playing card games. But I've never been interested, thinking this was one of those small mom and pop stores that you eventually grew out of.
Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong.
New locale in Serangoon North Ave 3
Now sporting a Rowell TCG sign, its new location is just one bus stop away.
However, this time, it's away from the hustle and bustle of Serangoon North Ave 1, which featured plenty of kopitiams, bakeries, a supermarket, and of course, an excellent street art mural that's full of heart.
Located under a block at Serangoon North Ave 3, the new location is actually a bomb shelter that's been converted into a retail space. It's much larger than the previous location, and more importantly, air-conditioned.
"So, you know Singapore's weather's very warm, right, so our customers wished for a place where they can have aircon, and we also don't disturb our neighbours," said Catherine Ong, Rowell's manager.
"Instead of them sitting outside, when people walk past, sometimes it's too crowded, they will start to look and see what happened, and some will even call the police, because they know what happened, like 'why so many people there?', so that made us want to change the location."
SW Chong, the owner, told Yahoo Southeast Asia that they managed to get the new location due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It just happened that after the pandemic, a lot of people were giving up their spaces at the bomb shelter, we saw the area and thought it was very good, big enough, and won't bother others," said Chong.
He also added when the weather got too hot, there would be too few customers. The newer space would allow them to run bigger community tournaments, up to 30 per cent more, which they usually do on the weekend.
Rowell runs Vanguard, One Piece, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments. Chong also stopped selling Magic: The Gathering, saying that the veteran card game doesn't have new players, and they don't play as much.
"Honestly, the new place has a better environment, it feels similar to shops in Japan, but of course, the old place has lots of nostalgia for me," said Glenn Goh, a student at the Singapore Institute of Technology and long-time customer.
"I spent the last nine years there, I grew up there. The new location is just one bus stop away, and makes almost no difference for me. I like the aircon and it's more enjoyable to play here."
No future in video, but games have helped Rowell thrive
Rowell started out back in 1986, renting video tapes, laser dics, VCDs, and DVDs.
However, they noticed that the sales and rental of videos were going down the hill due to “free online content” and tried selling video games first, consoles such as the PS1 from Sony. They also started selling Pokémon cards as a sideline.
In 1997, Chong decided to sell more collectable card games – besides Pokémon cards, he also added Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh.
As word of mouth spread, the shop started becoming popular with the locals, and their old location also made it easy for students to come play, then go off to get a bite at the kopitiams nearby.
While Rowell continued to sell both games and cards, the business slowly transitioned to just selling card games only, though he was still selling the PlayStation Portable in 2009.
"Everytime we change, change, and change, so no more games, no more videos," said Chong.
Currently, besides card games, Rowell's new shop also sells figurines and collectibles, and they have no plans to switch things up for now.
And if you're wondering if both Chong and Ong have actually played any of the games they sell, well, the answer may not surprise you.
"Mahjong, I can play," said Chong. "But I never tried any of the games I sell."
"I think it's not easy to pick up," added Ong. "I did see them playing but we actually got no interest in playing. To sell is okay, but to play is hard."
Aloysius Low is an ex-CNET editor with more than 15 years of experience. He's really into cats and is currently reviewing products at canbuyornot.com
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