'Coffee boutiques with an artistic theme was our brand concept from the time we opened in December 2003,' says Abbey Chang, assistant vice-president, business development at TCC.
Within TCC's chain of 20 outlets here, four have been designated as art-gallery-themed, including their newest outlet on Mohammad Sultan Road - The Pier@ Robertson; their flagship gallery cafe, however, is TCC (The Gallery) on Circular Road.
Ms Chang emphasises that the Circular Road outlet is not a cafe where paintings are shown as an after-thought, but it is custom-fitted to be a gallery from the start. Still, showcasing paintings in a cafe atmosphere is always a tricky business; if not sensitively done, the artworks look like mere decor. Aware of this, TCC appointed art-management.com run by Claude Verly to take care of the arts programming - with stylish results.
Care is taken to present art with the professionalism it deserves - and TCC does not grudge the price tag. It has so far cost over $150,000 to run their arts programme this year.
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Olij Studio
