Singapore's narrowest shop? Photo of tiny shop in Yishun sparks online discussion

A picture of a tiny hardware store located in Yishun has sparked a discussion among netizens, many amused by its ridiculously narrow storefront size, and others wondering if the place is a fire hazard. 

The picture was uploaded on Reddit by user HeavyArmsJin on Jan 28, who called it "the narrowest shop in Singapore". 

Several products are seen hung on the walls of the shop, including lamps, shower heads and other miscellaneous items. 

"It's the width of a shophouse stairwell," remarked a user. 

"Can pass fire safety?" asked another. 

Some also cracked jokes about the amount of space in the shop. 

"They operate on slim margins," jested one. 

Another Reddit user also claimed that he knows the owner and said that the shop is "actually not that small". 

He explained that the owner of the shop had rented a small space to another tenant, and that the hardware shop was actually L-shaped. 

When AsiaOne visited the shop at Chong Pang City on Friday (Feb 2), some shopkeepers told us that this hardware shop is actually part of a larger unit that has been subdivided into three. 

On the left of this hardware shop is an optical shop, while on its right an apparel shop. 

The entrance of the hardware shop is just about a metre long, and the space inside looks like it can barely fit three people. AsiaOne was unable to verify if the shop was indeed L-shaped. 

A staff of the hardware shop, who declined to be named, said that the shop has been around for about 50 years.

AsiaOne understands that the owner of this shop owns the whole unit, and has subdivided and rented out the remaining space to the optical and apparel shop operators.

However, this staff said he does not know when the unit was rented to the other two tenants. 

The female boss of the spectacle shop said: "The owner split the unit into three, the spectacle stop occupies half the unit." 

She did not want to reveal how long she's been renting the unit for. 

The owner of the clothing shop only told AsiaOne that they have been renting the unit for about two years.

Subtenants should not cause any nuisance: HDB

According to the Housing Development Board (HDB)'s guide on managing subtenants in commercial units, owners of sold shops do not require HDB's prior consent to rent out their shop for retail or service trades that do not involve any change of use. 

However, shop owners are responsible for ensuring that the operations of their subtenants do not cause any nuisance or complaints. 

They also should not violate the terms and conditions in the tenancy agreement. 

READ ALSO: Yishun shop owner converts living quarters above into 4 'studio units' for rent

claudiatan@asiaone.com