Old-school spectacle shop Lim Kay Khee Optical House at Balestier Road relocating after 64 years

After 64 years at the same location along Balestier Road, one of Singapore’s last few old-school spectacle shops Lim Kay Khee Optical House has ceased operations on Thursday (Aug 1).
However, the family business, founded by the late Lim Kay Khee in 1946, does not plan to shut for good. The establishment is set to relocate to Balestier Point across the road from their current shophouse unit at 330 Balestier Road later this year.
Mr Lim Seah Seng, the 67-year-old owner of the business and the youngest son of the late Mr Lim, intends to open the new store under his own name, according to a press release sent on Thursday.
Before its closure, the current store was run by Mr Lim and his sister Ms Karen Lim.
The family business also has branches in Hougang and Peninsula Plaza, which are run by Mr Lim’s older brothers. But the Balestier branch was the only one whose original, traditional set-up remained intact since 1960 when it relocated to the shophouse. It was previously based at 339 Balestier Road. 
Since its heyday, the shop has lost nearly 80 per cent in revenue, Mr Lim told CNA Lifestyle last year in an interview.
Not only did it have to contend with the evolving Balestier neighbourhood, the shop also saw competition from the rise of LASIK surgery. And compared with sleek spectacle stores in shopping malls today, Mr Lim’s shop was something of an anomaly in this day. It had no self-service racks, designer brands or air-conditioning, and its patterned floor tiles and machinery were preserved from the 1960s. 
The optical house was “known for continuing to use traditional methods to create custom spectacles, an art that is almost lost to time in an era of fast fashion”, stated the press release.
But customers, including children and grandchildren of Mr Lim’s OG fanbase, appeared to be won over by his work ethic. 
The shop apparently attracted the attention of a handful of celebrities, including Taiwanese boy band 5566 in the early 2000s and mandopop icon Kit Chan, as well as media coverage for its vintage business.