This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 18, 2023 - December 24, 2023

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. This idiom could not have resonated more with the management of Seventeen Mall when it came to securing tenants for the 80,000 sq ft plaza.

According to the mall’s executive director Ng Kay Yip, the initial idea to employ a standard landlord-tenant strategy was foiled when it came to securing tenants.

“We tried looking for established names but the mall’s parameters didn’t fit them. They wanted footfall numbers and traffic flow. So, it is a different matrix altogether,” he says.

Ng adds that the team had to reconsider its strategy and take a “holistic angle”. The result? A unique incubator initiative, where he sought out potential businesses that he and his team felt would serve the community well.

To ensure that the retail component — Seventeen Mall is part of a mixed-use development with residential units located in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, Selangor — would not compete with already-established businesses occupying the shophouses that surround the development, Ng sought out enterprises that would complement those businesses. With the help of family, friends and contacts, Ng and his colleagues shortlisted and explained the mall’s objectives to potential tenants.

“I had to look for people who were interested [in coming to the mall]; I had to scout around and stretch my entrepreneurial instincts in the search for people who are passionate about their [business] idea, good at what they did and looking for a space to start their business,” he says.

“I had to assess whether these business owners were really passionate about and good at what they did, so that their business could survive. We don’t want them to lose money. That is how it came to be that each potential tenant was carefully vetted for the right motive and viable business model. Usually, the business model needed refinement. So we shared our experience to help them.”

Ng, who is also CEO of integrated timber company Maran Timber, has an entrepreneurial streak, having started or been involved in several businesses. He believes in supporting like-minded individuals and sharing his knowledge with them.

“We thought to ourselves, why not make this place one where people can make their dreams come true? That’s how we came up with the tagline, ‘Your dream begins at Seventeen’,” he says.

The mall is now 90% occupied. Depending on the size and type of business, monthly rents hover between RM5 and RM15 psf. Ng states that all invited businesses have been paying rent except during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

“We started in 2019, so we have been operating for five years. For two years, however, the pandemic disrupted operations. During that time, we had to help the newer tenants by waiving the rent. We also helped them continue their business one way or another,” he says.

Each business that sets up shop in Seventeen Mall has a different gestation period. Ng is aware that some take a bit longer to find their feet and audience. As such, the level of support for each business varies.

In addition, with his business experience, Ng is in a position to act as a mentor to help these businesses level up.

“I am entrepreneurial by nature; I’m involved in quite a number of start-ups and I’m in the family business. I use all the experience I’ve gained to encourage the [businesses]. The most important thing is not to give them instructions, but instead offer ideas for where we think there might be weaknesses. For example, maybe they lack discipline, are not financially savvy or not tapping into social media. We are just a sounding board for them.”

Several businesses have benefited from this incubator initiative and the support given by the management has helped them find a sense of security so that they can focus on their respective business and its growth.

There is Superfine, an Australian-inspired café co-founded by Sim Chee Howe, Larry Lam and Felicia Lam, which previously operated out of a small shop at AmpWalk on Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Superfine, which serves hearty meals, along with coffee and cakes, opened at the current location on Jan 15, 2019.

Another outlet is The Code Rig, operated by brother-and-sister team Jennifer Kirubai, its director, and David Natanial, its creative director. It is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)-based learning centre for children aged four to 17. There are three main modules — programming, engineering, and 3D design and modelling — with all modules and projects created in-house and designed to cater for the needs of each child. The centre originally commenced operations in another mall in 2018 but, owing to unavoidable circumstances, it had to leave on short notice. The management of Seventeen Mall, which was scouting for an education business at the time, invited the duo to lease space and helped them move. It opened its doors in March 2020.

Professional mural company Art Battalion may not have opened an outlet in the plaza, but it has certainly left its mark — on the wall of the wet market. The artists were invited in 2020 by Seventeen Mall, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and local community to paint the longest mural artwork there between the first and second Movement Control Order (MCO) periods, with proper documentation allowing them to do so. This has allowed the talented crew to showcase their work, which has provided them with much exposure.

Over the past year, Seventeen Mall has undergone renovations that have opened up space for new tenants, such as Fort Garrison, Yumeji and Mellow Wine Bar, as well as new grocer Urban Marketplace.

Fort Garrison restaurant serves hearty Malaysian cuisine with a modern twist, along with specialities such as chicken chop, ayam masak merah and mee siam. It also offers classics such as roti bakar.

The menu at Japanese restaurant Yumeji changes daily offering tempura options before 5pm; after 5pm, there are yakitori skewer choices. The main chef’s special is the Tomahawk katsu.

Mellow Wine Bar serves both natural wines and conventional wines as well as meals that pair well with the wine selections. Urban Marketplace provides daily necessities, complementing the wet market, which is adjacent to the mall. Other new outlets include ZUS Coffee and Japow, which sells soft serve ice-cream.

Seventeen Mall has come a long way and serves the community by providing options that complement rather than compete against businesses in the area. Moreover, Ng, who had no prior retail experience, now has the confidence and skill to help other smaller malls that want to start a similar incubator initiative if approached.

While things have gone well, success is not always guaranteed. While one can be hands-on and have a good team and the wherewithal to run a business, an idea can still fail. How does Ng deal with failure?

“For me, the most important thing is to have friends you can talk to and whom you can bounce ideas off. The last thing you want is people giving instructions. That doesn’t work. I have been through that and you need some encouragement. That is the most important thing,” Ng concludes with a smile.

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