'We know this industry isn't easy': 40-year-old Toa Payoh furniture store to close, owners discourage children from taking over

Earlier in May, the elderly couple behind TPY 177 Furniture shared that they were considering permanently shuttering their 40-year-old furniture store. 

And now, it's official — the business will be closing for good, though no exact date has been revealed. 

The main reason is that the owners, Lin Hechang (transliteration), 77, and his wife Zhuang Miaozhu (transliteration), 73, have decided to retire, they told Lianhe Zaobao in an interview. 

Over the years, the elderly couple's children have offered to take over the reins so that they can retire. 

However, Lin and Zhuang couldn't bring themselves to do so. 

Lin shared with the Chinese publication that over the past four decades, the business has been open almost every day and only closes for four days a year, during Chinese New Year. 

"We know that this industry is not easy. Therefore, when our children said they were willing to take over, we did not encourage them to do so and hope that they would find a job they like," he said. 

As much as the couple want to power on and continue with the business, different factors prevented them from doing so. 

For instance, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the development of online shopping and as the couple are unfamiliar with technology, they lagged behind. 

Other reasons for the closure include difficulties in hiring and the numerous regulations needed to run a business, they shared. 

According to the shop's Facebook page, the couple have been running a clearance sale in a bid to sell off the furniture there in light of its closure. 

Finding a buyer 

According to Lianhe Zaobao's report, the couple are working with a real estate agency to sell the two-storey shophouse. 

Though there is the option to keep the unit and rent it out for side income, the couple told the Chinese publication that their children wanted them to completely let go of the business so they could retire in peace. 

While the couple are still looking for a buyer, they shared that they have decided to temporarily rent the first floor of their unit to a friend in the same industry. 

40 years of history 

Prior to opening TPY 177 Furniture, Lin, who started working at the age of 16, had a job at a mattress company. 

Later, with the encouragement of Zhuang, he set up his own business in 1973 selling wholesale sofa covers.

It was in 1984 that they set up their furniture shop together at Block 177 Toa Payoh Central. 

Over the past 40 years, the business has survived many trials and tribulations like the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome epidemic in 2003 and most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019. 

"Many young customers told us that they grew up in Toa Payoh, and when they got married and moved to a new home, their parents asked them to come to our store to buy their furniture," Zhuang told the Chinese media.

Now that the couple are selling the store and retiring, Zhuang shared that she may do some travelling and volunteer work. 

But most importantly, she hopes to spend more time with her family. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com