21 Moonstone is Singapore’s newest, coolest venue. A co-working space for creatives moonlighting as a bar on weekends, 21 Moonstone creates a cosy, aesthetic environment for creatives and freelancers to brainstorm, get inspired and share that inspiration.
So far, the space has seen a host of celebrities and artists alike using the space for their personal or creative pursuits. A quick search on Instagram’s location tag reveals 21 Moonstone’s star-studded base. Having discovered its location, I couldn’t wait to get to the coolest bar this side of town.
The young team behind 21 Moonstone consists of Jeremy Lim, Yang Er Tan, Vincent Ho, and Narelle Kheng (from Sam Willows!).
Harnessing their artist angst, the four of them came together and decided to open 21 Moonstone to fill a gap in the creative industry for communal working spaces.
Despite their tender ages, the team has an impressive résumé of experience that supports their endeavour.
Vincent’s family owns a famous Chinese Heng Hua restaurant (mingchung.com.sg), Narelle is heavily involved in Singapore’s music and arts scene (thesamwillows.com), Jeremy primarily works with co-working spaces and the entrepreneurial community (coworking.com.sg), and Yang is an artist and photographer (yangermeister.com).
Yang, Jeremy, Vincent and Narelle
I spoke with Vincent, Jeremy and Yang to find out more about 21 Moonstone’s origins and aspirations.
How was the idea for 21 Moonstone first conceived? Did it just happen all of a sudden?
Jeremy: I think all of a sudden is the right term. It was love at first sight when we saw the space! Yang and I were having lunch when I decided to check out the space so we came to take a look together.
Yang: Narelle and I used to go to each other’s places to paint and we always talked about how nice it would be if all our creative friends could work together in a communal space, where we could bounce ideas off each other and other freelancers even if we were working on our individual projects.
Vincent: For me, it was always my dream to start a bar and I guess the opportunity came at the right time. Narelle came up with a few ideas for the space and a bar was one of them. After that, the idea was embedded in my mind. It was like a seed planted!
Yang: It would be a waste if we only used the space as a working space or bar alone because there were so many options considered. It made sense that drinks and art would come together!
The space before:
The space after:
What do you see for the future of 21 Moonstone?
Jeremy: At the end of the day, the foundation of what we do at 21 Moonstone is to build the community of creatives. From setting up an ideal workspace for them, to having a place where they can bring their friends and hang out. We also want to upgrade the amenities, like setting up an editing suite, getting better quality studios or lights, or providing better creative resources for them.
Vincent: And the bar serves to support these goals financially. At the end of the day, it’s all about the community. Whatever facilities that we enhance will always go back to the creative community that we’re trying to support.
Jeremy: We all think the creative community is overlooked. There are many working space options, for example, the tech or entrepreneurship community, but not as many options for creatives.
How did you find out about this market gap for co-working spaces for the creative community?
Yang: Being in the arts and media community ourselves, we experienced it first-hand. Vincent was in theatre, Narelle is in music and I do art. For example, when I was freelancing, Jeremy helped me with finding different co-working spaces around Singapore but I found that they were mostly unsuitable or not ideal for creative work. But here, it’s like a family. We can approach each other for advice on, for example, how to mask something in Photoshop without having to consult Google, which can be confusing.
How is 21 Moonstone different from other co-working spaces in Singapore?
Jeremy: Besides being catered to the creative community, the amenities and space are also suited specifically for creatives. 21 Moonstone has flexibility of space to allow the users to adjust it according to their needs.
Vincent: We also offer extra flexibility with our co-working space schedules and costs. We’re aware of the needs of creatives and young freelancers being part of the community ourselves, so it’s easy to ask ourselves what we want or what we would pay for and offer the same to our target audience.
Yang: Our space is smaller than other options so this presents a challenge, but we definitely cater to the needs of creatives much more in terms of resources and equipment.
Jeremy: The space is also homelier than others because we try to instil a sense of ownership in the creatives that work here. A lot of our resources are crowdsourced or donated by the people who use the space, and this makes it very fulfilling for both them and us.
Do you feel that being young has given you an advantage in being a start-up?
Yang: Our decisions are based on a level of empathy. We can put ourselves in the shoes of freelancers to see if the space appeals to them, and what to change if it doesn’t. Being young also makes us fearless; we don’t see problems as problems. We see it as troubleshooting and we don’t fear these issues.
Jeremy: We also provide support for the creative community. Being a creative establishment in Singapore is not easy.
What kind of creatives have worked here so far?
Yang: Among the mainstays, we have a production team, a fashion photographer, an illustrator, an artist, a novelist, and a fashion stylist. We also have a good crowd of musicians that come by to use the space.
What advice do you have for other young entrepreneurs who wish to start their own businesses?
Vincent: Just go for it. Follow your heart. If you’re gonna wait for the right opportunity, it will never happen. Just do what you want and go for it!
Jeremy: The road to entrepreneurship is tough and tiring, but don’t stop when you’re tired, stop when you’re done!
Yang: Good work will follow when good people come together. And that’s practically the mantra of this place! Creating a platform where people feel safe enough to discuss ideas, have conversations, and build that community for good work. It also doesn’t hurt that drinks bring people together!
21 Moonstone currently houses a bar, a communal work space, a meeting area, and many benches, sofas and seats for freelancers to work and drunks to pass out in. Check out their Facebook page or website for more info.
coming soon
Posted by 21Moonstone on Wednesday, 12 July 2017
21 Moonstone Lane
Poh Leng Building #09-01
328462