Breathing new life into shophouses

Powell and Lin Ho took a year and a half to complete the book which focused on the history and architecture of the Malayan shophouse.

In early 2013, once popular coffee shop, Sin Seng Nam shuttered its doors for the final time. The 85-year-old Hainanese kopitiam’s closing was met with a tinge of sadness; after all it marked the end of an era for an iconic landmark.

Housed in a three-storey building along Medan Pasar or the old “Market Square” in Kuala Lumpur, Sin Seng Nam retained one of the last remnants of old world charm in the area.