Is it that life was more interesting in the past or that we look at the past through rose-colored glasses? Either way, vintage is still hip, and a group of local Chiang Mai entrepreneurs is leveraging its timeless cool in their businesses—some driven by nostalgia, all driven by passion.

When Bird Trinniphat found a childhood toy, a Japanese superhero figurine made in 1991, he was filled with joy. This would become the start of a collection of now over 3000 original Japanese toys from the 1960s to the late 1990s. His entire collection is now on display at his café, The Toys Club, tucked away on a nondescript street east of the Ping River. The collectibles are displayed alongside retro video games, signage, and other related paraphernalia.

He keeps his most valuable items in a glass cabinet near the bar, including his rarest toy: the Tetsujin 28-go, a handmade robot from the early 1980s, and one of only 500 ever made. “Their value increases with the years,” he explains of his toys’ value. “If you still have the original box and original price tag, even better. Sometimes, these toys were never opened at all, which makes them even more valuable.”

Trinniphat often travels to Japan to hunt for collectibles in toy stores, thrift shops, and even local grocery shops, avoiding bigger cities to get better deals. In recent years, he’s begun looking for noteworthy items in Thailand, at a small town by the Salween River, on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, where containers filled with second-hand products from Japan regularly arrive. “They sell stuff in bulk, by the kilo,” he says. “Sometimes I find truly fascinating stuff in the piles, and people don’t realize their value.”

A sliding door at the back of The Toys Club opens into 1st Press, a hidden Japanese-style vinyl bar, Trinniphat’s latest project. Together with Print Siwakorn, a 24-year-old vinyl collector and bartender, they’ve faithfully recreated the atmosphere of a Japanese speakeasy in Chiang Mai, similar to the ones Trinniphat would visit on his trips. The space—decorated with old sofas, chairs, and an impressive record collection—is inviting and warm, and feels more like a friend’s living room than a bar.

Hours:

The Toy Club, Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM ~ 6 PM
1st Press, Tuesday to Saturday, 5 PM~ 12 AM

Address:

46/1 San Pa Koi Rd, Tambon Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai District

A stone’s throw away from Chinatown is Stand Behind the Yellow Line, a garage that’s been converted into an antique shop by husband-and-wife duo Vorawan Lekvongderm and Sirat Assawachaipong. The name comes from the first iteration of their shop, which was opened in Bangkok beside an MTR station.

Inside the new Chiang Mai location, it feels like a hoarder’s paradise—with a wide variety of products filling every possible corner, ranging from kitchen appliances and religious artifacts to stationery goods and vintage posters. Even entire Disney VHS collections and Penthouse magazines featuring Pamela Anderson can be found for sale. It’s a nostalgia-inducing space, especially for kids who grew up in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Aside from the comprehensive collection of retro goods and antiques, the couple has also managed to find space to add a coffee shop and bar serving coffee, beer, and—for kids—Milo chocolate drink.

Hours:
Monday to Saturday, from 10 AM ~ 7PM
Vinyl bar is 5 PM ~ 10 PM

Address:
140 Chang Moi Rd, Tambon Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai District

Den Souvenir is a zine and art shop owned by Kitiwat Mattanapan that’s become a local hub for underground and graffiti artists and enthusiasts. More than a shop, it’s a space that encourages artistic collaboration.

Mattanapan also runs his own publishing house, the Den Publishing Group, curating zines featuring local and international artists. To support the creators, he bears the printing costs himself and sends half of the copies to the artists, wherever they are. He also owns a streetwear clothing label, with limited edition designs made in collaboration with local designers, which are also available for sale in the store

There’s a corner of the shop dedicated to pop-up exhibitions, which he hosts at least once a month. “In Chiang Mai, everybody knows each other in the art scene,” he says. “Still, it’s very diverse. Our store is one of the few enablers of collaboration. It goes beyond just selling stuff; we want to be like a meeting point for artists in Chiang Mai.”

Other parts of the shop are dedicated to miscellaneous souvenirs, including a collection of original 1980s Pattaya and Phuket caps with tropical prints or Memphis patterns. Scattered around the space, you can also find bootleg toys, political toy art, and miniatures with graffiti art painted by local artists.

Hours:
Friday to Wednesday, 1 PM ~ 6 PM

Address:
48 Chaiyapoom Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District

A few doors down from Den Souvenir, a group of friends opened Brewginning a little over one year ago in a mid-century modernist building. They were initially attracted by its street corner location, and have designed it to be a semi-open coffee shop; it can be difficult to distinguish where the street ends and the cafe begins, especially considering the minimal amount of seating.

A Chinese tailor previously occupied the building, and he ran his clothing shop on the ground floor and used the upper floor as his workshop. “We wanted to keep the original features of the building, so we only made small improvements. Most of it remains as it was, even the holes from hooks and hangers and the original color of the walls,” says Natdanai Sontinen, one of the founders.

The second floor has an open terrace and other multifunctional rooms, including the original bathroom, which doubles as a photo booth for events. On the walls, vestiges of old Chinese New Year couplets sit in contrast with art prints, cracked concrete, and exposed piping, forming a unique take on the derelict-industrial style.

Hours:
Daily, 7 AM ~ 7 PM.

Address:
260 Chang Moi Rd, Tambon Chang Moi, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai

Students in uniforms eating cake with baby cutlery lounge about on mismatched furniture while tattooists, wearing gold-and-silver chains and all-black baggy clothes, ink equally edgy customers. That’s the vibe at Lee On Ink.

When Ponatip Suanphet, better known as Leeon, discovered an empty warehouse in a mostly residential area away from the old town, he saw it as the perfect space to expand his tattoo business and invited two other tattooists to join him. “When we moved here, people in the neighborhood were a bit suspicious, especially when we said it was a tattoo shop, but we showed them that everything runs peacefully,” he laughs. Lee On Ink is also located close to a Buddhist temple, which, in Thailand, means no alcohol or parties.

The space was so big that, even after they set up a workshop for the three tattoo artists, there was still a lot of unused real estate. “The coffee shop was a natural evolution since people who came to get tattoos often came with friends who had to wait,” Lee explains. While he’s tattooing, his girlfriend, Chamchuree Apiwong, runs the coffee shop; she’s also the operational manager.

The couple slowly furnished the space with cheap second-hand shops around Chiang Mai, “No money style,” as Lee puts it. The furniture collection grew into a mix of independent mid-century designs, with pieces ranging from a Noguchi coffee table to a Le Corbusier Cassina armchair, which sit next to 80s-era lounge sofas, geriatric infant furniture, and camping tables. It also follows an open floor plan, extending into a spacious yard with a gargantuan statue of the Loch Ness Monster.

Hours:
Friday to Wednesday, 2 PM ~ 8 PM

Address:
Prachautid Rd, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai District

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Contributor: Tomas Pinheiro, Lucas Tinoco
Photographer: Nat Chittamai
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li