The BigChilli
  • Home
  • ONLINE MAGAZINE
  • News
  • Promotions
  • Features
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • What's on
  • Social Events
  • The BigChilli TV
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Social Media
    • Pricavy Policy
  • Contact us

Secret Bangkok: The city’s first department store

19/2/2018

Comments

 
Picture
Unchanged since the day it opened its doors more than half a century ago, the Nightingale-Olympic department store is a genuine curiosity against Bangkok’s fast-growing luxurious and high-tech shopping complexes
 
By Morgan Thanarojpradit
CONSTRUCTED in 1966, the Nightingale-Olympic was the first department store in Bangkok. It was the talk-of-the-town and a clear sign of Bangkok’s up and coming retail scene. It employed over 100 staff and was the Central Embassy or Siam Paragon in its days.
 
The rustic concrete building towers above most surrounding shophouses, and one can only imagine how it used to be when it was unveiled 52 years ago while Bangkok was still surrounded mostly by small wooden houses and grasslands.
 
Today, it remains frozen in time and little, if any at all, has changed since its grand opening day. Once inside, the customers are greeted with the dimly lit atrium space. The stores are manned with quiet but friendly staff ladies who do not speak a word of English. The faded wallpapers, signages and the vintage mannequins show the wear and tear of time.
A row of rather vintage-retro sports equipment lined one wall of the ground floor while a vintage makeup table dominates the centre of the space. The second floor features a row of guitars and musical instruments on one side while boasting exercise equipment on the other.
 
Still able to draw in frequent visitors, the department store is in operation today. The Nightingale-Olympic department store opens Monday-Friday from 9am-5.30pm, 9am-6pm on Saturday and closes on Sunday. It might not be the place to look for modern gadgets, but for vintage-retro items, there might be some treasures to be found.​
Picture
How to get there
The department store is on Tri Phet Road, opposite from The Old Siam Shopping Plaza.

The Nightingale-Olympic Co., Ltd. 02 221 9773. ​
Comments

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Shrewsbury International School Bangkok
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Attractions
    Business
    Crime
    Dining
    Diplomats
    Expat Women
    Fashion
    Feature
    Gourmet
    Health
    History
    Hotels
    Hot List
    Hua Hin
    Insight
    Motoring
    Patpong
    Schools
    Special Discs
    Sport
    Steak
    Technology
    Travel


    calendar of events


    Picture
Picture
About  |   Emag  |  Subscribe (print)  |  Newsletter |  Contact Us  | Advertise 

FOLLOW US

CURRENT ISSUE

2019 - 2020 so Far

The BigChilli July 2020
JAN 2020
FEB 2020
Mar 2020
April 2020
May 2020
The BigChilli June 2020
June 2020
July 2020
July 2020
AUG 2020
SEP 2020
OCT 2020
NOV 2020
Copyright © 2018 The BigChilli Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
No. 8/2 FMA Group Bldg., 4th Floor, Room 401
Convent Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

Tel: 02 635 5085 Fax: 02 635 5086  email: thebigchillimagazine@gmail.com
  • Home
  • ONLINE MAGAZINE
  • News
  • Promotions
  • Features
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • What's on
  • Social Events
  • The BigChilli TV
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Social Media
    • Pricavy Policy
  • Contact us