Shopping Centres of Old

[Phrakanong]

I first started living in Bangkok back in 1983. At the time, my neighbourhood of Phrakanong was a small shopping hub, in that it had Thai Daimaru, Asian Department Store and Edisson (sp?) Department Store.

Does anyone know anything about Asian Department Store? Eg, who owned it, when it first opened, and what is currently proposed for that site (last time I saw it, the building was being gutted).

Similarly, anyone know when Thai Daimaru first opened its Phrakanong branch? I know the first branch was in Rajdamri in the 1970s. However, even the Phrakanong branch looked a bit on the old side back in 1983.

[Jromerz]

The Thai Daimaru on Rachadamri, I believe it was on the site where Big C is now, opposite Central World...

Another small department store at Phrakhanong was Welco.. and there were also several cinemas in the area, which then became porn cinemas, and which now have all closed down. The whole stretch between Sukhumvit-Rama 4 intersection and Phrakhanong bridge was a thriving shopping area and teen hangout, clothes being the main products sold from the sidewalk shops. Now this type of activity only survives on the Phrakhanong market side of the intersection. I think it all started to fade around the time that the larger superstores arrived nearby - Tesco at Onnut for example.. and now much of those buildings are either vacant or have been pulled down. Happened very rapidly, in the space of only 1 or 2 years they all disappeared.

Do you recall the name of the small amusement park that was located right at the Sukhumvit-Phrakhanong intersection, behind the police box, next to Bangkok bank? It was there for a short time and then became a clothes market (forgot the name also), and then was all pulled down and there is now a 'moo kata' restaurant.. and what was on that plot before?

The Thai Daimaru plot is now a large condominium, Edisson is now the Phrakhanong post office (which used to have its own large building - now being torn down), Welco has gone to make way for another large condo, Asian is in the process of being torn down... There's even a number of shophouses that have been torn down in the market to make way for a future residential building.

This was the area I grew up in, and I always get that nostalgic feeling for what it used to be.. and what it is rapidly becoming. The old buildings that do survive are becoming dirty and run-down.. At the same time many of the old residents still stay in the same places, and the market has not changed too much inside. If someone were to ask me where my home is, this area of Phrakhanong would definitely be it :)

[The Enforcer!]

What ever happened to Morgan & Hunter I wonder?

The Enforcer!

[Phrakanong]

Jromerz,

Good to meet another person from Phrakanong. The 1980s were a great time in that area and I have many fond memories. It's a shame to see how derelict many of the buildings in the central area have become.

Big C Ratchadamri - is that where Thai Daimaru was or Robinsons, or a combination of the two? I thought the current Narayana Phand outlet might have been the frontage for Thai Daimaru, but that whole area has changed so much it is hard to remember. I certainly miss both stores. I also used to frequent the old Ratchadamri arcade... the original modern shopping of Bangkok ;)

When I first moved to Phrakanong in 1983, the little amusement park opposite the intersection must have just been winding down, so I don't recall seeing a name, and at some stage it was fenced off. I recall various attempts to utilise that land, ranging from markets to a restaurant, but nothing seemed to last. I also recall there was a Siam Steak outlet somewhere around Carsons or the street leading to Thai Daimaru. Also a great restaurant just a little down Soi 77 that had live performances each night plus reasonable western food (kind of rare in that part of Bangkok in the early 80s).

In terms of current development, I get the impression there will be a few condos going up. The one on Thai Daimaru is just the first. I bet that's why a lot of the shophouses have become run-down, vacant etc. Many of them are ear-marked for demolition.

Do you recall when Asian and Thai Daimaru first opened in Phrakanong?

[Wisarut]

Thai daimaru at Rajdamri was OPENED on 10 December 1964 ... with the First Escalator in Thailand - the first SERIOUS contender of Central Group

http://www.sarakadee.com/108/daimaru-ans.htm

Thai Daimaru Phra Khanong and Asian Department Store in Phakhanong was opened in 1979
http://www.gotomanager.com/news/details.aspx?id=5448

31 October 2000 - Thai Daimaru has Ceased theri business in Thailand

http://www.gotomanager.com/news/details.aspx?id=467

[Wisarut]

Another small department store at Phrakhanong was Welco.. and there were also several cinemas in the area, which then became porn cinemas, and which now have all closed down. The whole stretch between Sukhumvit-Rama 4 intersection and Phrakhanong bridge was a thriving shopping area and teen hangout, clothes being the main products sold from the sidewalk shops. Now this type of activity only survives on the Phrakhanong market side of the intersection. I think it all started to fade around the time that the larger superstores arrived nearby - Tesco at Onnut for example.. and now much of those buildings are either vacant or have been pulled down. Happened very rapidly, in the space of only 1 or 2 years they all disappeared.

Welco belong to Phoonworalux family ... Now, it is gone since the last branch was closed in Feb 2002 and Phoonworalux family has focused on Major Cineplex Instead ....

http://www.gotomanager.com/news/details.aspx?id=3038
http://board.dserver.org/e/exmba13/00000090.html

[Wisarut]

More Condos/hotels along BTS Skytrain route & MRTA Subway are In fashion nowaday ... since they can go alogn Skytrain to Emporium, Siam paragon, Tesco Lotus, carrefour :rolleyes:

[Jromerz]

When I first moved to Phrakanong in 1983, the little amusement park opposite the intersection must have just been winding down, so I don't recall seeing a name, and at some stage it was fenced off. I recall various attempts to utilise that land, ranging from markets to a restaurant, but nothing seemed to last.

The amusement park/fairground type thing that I remember was set up sometime either in the late 80s or very early 90s... It couldn't have been before 1983 because I was still a baby then :P
I believe it was there for 6 months - 1 year only...

[Phrakanong]

I suspect the amusement park/fair was more a seasonal thing set up temporarily every year or so for certain Thai holidays.

As for the opening of Thai Daimaru - 1964 seems a bit too early. Here's an article I'd retained from last year (note, my previous link to it no longer works - it is from the Bangkok Post - Business News 7 August 2006): This article states Rajdamri Arcade opened 1972, and the inference is Thai Daimaru in Rajdamri opened at the same time.

No Stopping Shopping
From small shophouses to skyscraping stores and malls, the face of Thailand's retail industry has changed dramatically

PITSINEE JITPLEECHEEP

For retail magnate Wanchai Chirathivat, Thailand's shopping landscape has undergone dramatic changes in ways he had never anticipated over the past 60 years. Fading from memory _ especially in Bangkok _ are the days when everyday essentials were sold in wet markets or neighbourhood family shophouses.


Yaowarat (Chinatown) was the largest shopping area at the time, offering a wide range of local and imported consumer products from shophouses.


Tai Fah was recognised as the first modern department store in Yaowarat. Major products available at its open-air outlet were clothes and home products, a few cosmetics and shoes. Of course, customers could always bargain down their prices.


Apart from Tai Fah, other Thai department stores included Maew Dam (Black Cat), Nightingale, Artang, Pacific and Kwan Nakhon.


A few years after Tai Fah opened, the Central Group drove the momentum forward with the introduction of a more sophisticated store on Si Phraya Road.


''In that era, Thai shoppers had started to become exposed to more international magazines, clothes, electrical appliances and cosmetics such as Lanco{aci}me, Helena Rubinstein, Dunhill, Manhattan and Jockey,'' recalled Mr Wanchai, the Central Group chairman.


But the Thai retail market was really revolutionised in 1972. The opening of Ratchadamri Arcade brought about a new era to the already sophisticated Bangkok shopping scene.


The complex not only housed 220 fully air-conditioned shops _ from restaurants, coffee shops, beauty treatment centres, boutiques and leather goods centres _ but also included a Japanese retail chain for the first time, the Daimaru department store.


Daimaru was sardine-packed with shoppers rushing up the first escalators they had seen in a department store. Not only did it offer a host of products, but it also had a children's playground on the roof and multi-storey parking for over 500 cars.


From 1980 to 1990, many more department stores entered the market. They included The Mall, Merry Kings, Pata, Banglampoo, Cathay, Asian, Edison, Robinson, Tang Hua Seng, Big Bell, Imperial and Wellgrow.


A few years later it was the turn of foreign and Japanese retail chains _ Jusco, Isetan, Yaohan, Tokyu and Printemps department stores.


However, by the early 1990s the country saw many throw in the towel as the market intensified. Since then, various retail formats have continued to proliferate, from specialty shops to convenience stores.


This shaped the retail scene in many ways. Thai people were no longer hard-pressed to find hamburgers, buy a bar of soap or even pay an electricity bill after midnight.


And in a city seriously short of attractive public spaces and parks, shopping malls have become important venues for socialising and recreation, with children's fun parks, fitness centres and movie theatres.


The nature of shopping changed further starting in 1997, with the advent of foreign discount store chains. Touting cheaper prices, convenience and novel designs, they took over the market in a short period of time, driven by consumers hunting for low-cost goods during the economic crisis.


Today there are 120 outlets of the likes of Big C, Tesco Lotus and Carrefour.


At the other end of the spectrum, Thai people have also seen many high-end shopping complexes springing up of late, with the opening of The Emporium, between Sukhumvit 24 and 26, then Gaysorn, Erawan Bangkok and, most recently, Siam Paragon.


The good news is that better shopping experiences are here to stay. Mr Wanchai predicts Thailand's retail landscape will continue to develop far beyond what it has become today.


''The next five decades will be very different from today as Thai shoppers will have the chance to shop at Thai stores abroad,'' he said.


That drive could be led by the Central Group, which is looking to establish itself as a regional retailing presence.

[Wisarut]

Well, I thought Thai Daimaru had upgraded theri deparment store into Rajdamri Archade in 1972 sicne the escalation was not enough ...

YOu better see the advertising article of the first Escaltor in Thailand at Thai Daimaru published in Siamrath (8 december 1964) for this matter ...

[Phrakanong]

Thanks for everyone's help on this matter. I've finally concluded my research on this and yes, Thai Daimaru first opened in 1964 (must have been a great event), and it was then upgraded in 1972 to open up more into Ratchadamri Arcade. The way Thai Daimaru was described in the above Bangkok Post article was misleading, but I've since found a textbook discussing Thai retailing history which confirms the position.