Singapore’s first-ever NFT bar and lounge where you can appreciate and create art while nibbling on delicacies and sipping the finest craft beers.
When you’re done for the day and want to unwind, you’ll probably search for bars or restaurants with a pleasant atmosphere. But what if we told you that there’s a place that serves good drinks and has amazing art on the walls? Introducing Singapore’s first NFT bar, The Parlour Singapore. Launched by Jaye Foo, a Singaporean-based artist, entrepreneur and crypto advocate, the NFT-themed bar is a hidden gem that brings creators, art lovers and Web3 enthusiasts together. It has also become a hub for community meet-ups, such as Yuga Lab’s The Other Side NFT Exhibition and Game Launch.
That said, The Parlour is more than just an NFT bar. It is also home to a photography studio, recording studio and music production school as part of the growing collective.
One-stop center for artists of all sorts
Inspired by his own expertise and enthusiasm as an artist and entrepreneur, Foo launched The Parlour in Seoul and Singapore in January and October 2020, respectively. It aims to bring together all creatives and artists so that they can showcase their talent as well as communicate and collaborate with one another. As per Foo, it would be a wonderful idea to create a place where people could write and record music and try out other creative disciplines, such as culinary, photography, visual art and fashion.
The Parlour is a one-stop hub comprising five different businesses on different floors, including craft beer and yakitori bar and bistro Mirage, recording studio The Music Parlour, music production school Grid Culture and NFT lounge and photography studio Free Flow. The delicate design of each floor of The Parlour is spurred by Foo’s experience of working across the world as an artist. When talking about the fascinating infusion of greenery to the bar, Foo expounds, “My inspiration came from the Totori Desert in Japan. The [Free Flow] lounge upstairs was inspired by speakeasies from New York and London.”
Foo’s journey diving into the world of metaverse and crypto
Prior to the launch of The Parlour, Foo had been working as a DJ around the U.S., the U.K. and Japan and Korea. His experience and passion for music is probably what sowed the seeds of his entrepreneurial journey later on. Feeling that Singapore needs a place where musicians can jam, record and perform gigs, he started The Music Parlour in 2016.
He then expanded the concept to conceptualize a space beyond music to other art forms. As crypto and NFTs began to gain popularity globally since the pandemic, and knowing that “communities in the NFT space appreciate a place to hang out in real life where they feel they belong”, he decided to combine all the creative ideas into one physical space—The Parlour.
He has strong ambitions of establishing The Parlour worldwide and even in the metaverse. As the co-founder of The Mettaverse, Singapore’s first virtual real estate company, Foo expressed his plan to re-create The Parlour in the metaverse, where creatives and crypto and NFT enthusiasts can connect in the virtual world. As a crypto advocate, he is also mapping out using NFTs as access passes for both virtual and real-life events and facilities.
Currently, The Parlour pays out bonuses in cryptocurrency and NFTs to staff. Soon, the venue will enable crypto payments for its clients. “We are working with different crypto payment gateways to implement this. The future will see crypto payments being as simple as a phone tap,” says Foo.
Promoting digital art and advocating for blockchain technologies
The Parlour hosts a wide variety of NFT projects for people with varying interests, from mental health support groups to fashion enthusiasts. As a big fan of diversified digital art, Foo welcomes people to The Parlour for free, where there are 20 custom displays in the NFT gallery. The lineup of projects and artists changes weekly, and it takes into consideration what the audience wants to see. Through coming to The Parlour, people can learn more about the culture behind the digital art pieces and the artists that brought them to life.
To make things more exciting and fun, Foo is gamifying the visiting experience by adopting Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP) so that visitors have a new way of keeping an extensive record of their life experiences. He says, “POAPs are big online and so naturally I thought, why not do it offline at events too.” The concept is simple—people get a unique badge each time they participate in an event.
Some advice for entrepreneurs in the NFT space
Foo, a believer in NFT-focused entrepreneurship, is committed to growing the NFT community. Upon being exposed to NFTs, he has worked in a blockchain company where he advised on NFT projects and now designs and develops them for clients. The endless opportunities in the scene are what motivate him to spread the word about this blockchain technology through workshops and educational talks to help newcomers learn about the NFT space and technology safely.
“I was personally empowered with NFTs, as it provided me [with] new sources of income and served as a great networking tool. I feel [that the] creatives can greatly benefit from this technology,” he says. In light of that, for those wanting to get started in the NFT sector, Foo recommends going all out. “There is so much opportunity in this space right now, and early movers get the advantage. Go out there and grab them.”
Since the crypto space offers so many opportunities and growth potential, Foo is not afraid to jump into different businesses at the same time, and he confidently believes that “variety is the spice of life.” His final tip for juggling multiple businesses is to find “partners who focus on operations” so that he has the capacity to pioneer innovations and explore more possibilities in the space.
Looking ahead to the bright future of The Parlour
The Parlour Singapore is collaborating with metaverse event organizer Bandwagon Labs to organize virtual parties, which will be “broadcast in real life to expose the Web2 crowd to Web3.”
“I feel energized and thankful to be at the right place and at the right time.” As the hype for NFTs and crypto continues to grow, Foo envisions The Parlour Singapore to be the launchpad for NFT artists and projects in and around the region. In the time to come, he hopes that The Parlour becomes an NFT hub for Singapore and Asia and a safe space where artists can share exciting work and discuss the possibilities of the technology.
Also read:
- What Are Sustainable Development Goals and How Are Startups Meeting Them?
- Move Aside NFTs, It’s Time To Talk About Cryptoart
- Are Web3.0 And the Metaverse the Same?
Header image courtesy of The Parlour Singapore
