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A half century-old aquarium shop in Kovan run by an elderly man has fallen on tough times recently.

To help out the business, a member of the public took to Facebook to spread the word about the shop.

Writing in the May 6 post, user Bellebelle Metta Amulet shared that she learned from the elderly stall owner that business has been so bad they have had "zero income" over a "few months".

To add on to their plight, the user relayed that the stall owner's wife has difficulties walking and is prone to falls.

Second-generation owner

The store, "Wong's Fancy Fish", is run by 72-year-old Wong Fong On, who is single-handedly carrying on the trade started by his father 50 years ago.

They moved to Kovan from Sungei Road.

Sometimes, Wong is helped by his wife, who is in her 50s.

When not at the store, she is a teller at a Singapore Pools outlet.

"Wong's Fancy Fish" is located on the upper level of the Kovan 209 Market and Food Centre, opposite the wet market.

On the outside, the store front is covered in an array of aquarium equipment and fish tanks.

The store's offerings extends inside, which is small and like a shoebox.

Customers who are looking to buy fish for their home aquariums are handed a net and a cup of water before they go off to pick the fish by themselves.

Drop in footfall after car park replaced

When Mothership visited Wong at his store, a handful of regulars and curious passers-by trickled in and out of the store.

However, Wong shared that this was less than what he used to see.

The reduced footfall is largely due to the replacement of the old car park at the market and food centre with an up-and-coming HDB estate, the store owner explained.

“Income is affected because there's no buyers. Business has gone down at least 50 per cent,” Wong highlighted.

In fact, Wong shared that even some regulars have not returned after the car park was demolished.

Those who did return and were there when Mothership visited, shared that they lived nearby.

One such regular, Tan, 76, has been a returning customer for a couple of years now.

Tan stands by Wong and his trade.

“He looks serious and unexpressive on the outside, but he is a very nice man,” Tan declared.

Tan also pointed out that Wong’s prices are good compared to other aquarium shops in the area.

Unfamiliar with online tools

For Wong and his wife, "Wong’s Fancy Fish" is not just a business to be carried on.

Apart from his wife’s work, the store is their only other source of income.

The couple have no children.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Wong shared that things were "very hard".

Wong is unacquainted with digital tools, and does not have the manpower to support e-commerce operations.

So, they relied on government support to get through the pandemic.

At the moment, Wong hopes that business will pick up again "as soon as possible".

Post gone viral

The post has garnered around 2,000 shares on Facebook at the time of writing.

In the comments section of the post, some users shared anecdotes of pleasant experiences patronising the shop.

One user, who was been a returning customer for three years, pointed out the Wong was friendly and hard working:

Another user shared that she had been patronising the aquarium for more than a decade:

A handful of users, on the other hand, shared that they did not know about the shop but will visit after learning about it through the post:

"Wong's Fancy Fish" is open every Tuesday to Sunday from 7am to 2pm.

It is located inside Kovan 209 Market and Food Centre.

All images via Gawain Pek