Haji Hashim bin Abdullah operated a bookstore at 134 Arab Street from 1922 up till his death in 1968, from whence his family continued and expanded the business, including another outlet at Geylang Serai in the 1970s, which later shifted to present-day Joo Chiat Complex. Haji Hashim (the store) opened and sustained itself through a period of great change, particularly in relation to the Malay-language publishing industry in Singapore - from its rise in the 1920s and temporary decline through wartime, to eventual boom in the late 1940s and 1950s. This sign, along with the store's original set of four-panelled french doors, could once be seen at the store's original premises at 134 Arab Street and now serve as a reminder of the store and Kampong Gelam's wider history as a hotspot for the Malay publishing industry once upon a time.
