Electrical engineer by profession, Jun Lee has been engaged in the aquarium business for decades now.
At an early age, Lee said he found satisfaction in fishing so much so that he would make it a habit every summer.
Now at 42, the electrical engineer and court translator from South Korea said he has been making aquariums and raising a wide variety of fish for more than three decades now.
Self-taught, Lee said he would pore over books on how to maintain an aquarium and how to raise different varieties of fish.
“Knowledge is import in this business. You are dealing with live fish. Knowledge and experience are two important ingredients of success in this business,” Lee said.
A former soldier as well, Lee who dabbles in photography and scuba diving for leisure too, came to Saipan in 1991.
Initially he said he opened a shop on Middle Road and in Chalan Kanoa.
He told Variety, “I bought what was left of the aquarium business and continued to run it as my own.”
In 2002, he signed up for a 55-year lease on an approximately 500-sq.m property on Dandan Road in San Vicente where his pet shop, Glory Enterprises Inc., was located.
He’s had some good days. There was one Christmas he said when he sold two aquariums in one day for $500 each.
But business has been slow, he claimed.
What made it more difficult is USDA regulations prevent them from buying gold fish and carps from Asia. Instead, Lee said he buys then from California.
He said an infestation among carps in Asia caused by certain virus — an eponymous rhabdovirus — is one reason the USDA ruled against importing these carps from the region.
Lee also said cost of importing these varieties is hurting his business badly.
“With the slow economy, we can only import about 200 of the gold fish and carp every two months,” he said.
He told Variety that he would import the brightly colored fish such as gold fish, carp, comet, fantail, oranda, pearlscale, and shubunkin from the U.S.
Since it costs more to buy gold fish and carps from the United States, Lee said they had no choice but to increase their prices.
The other varieties, he said, he gets them from South Korea.
“What used to cost $3 is now $18 per fish,” said Lee.
He also lamented how the increase in the utility rates has made it more difficult for businesses including his.
“Of course. The power rate increase has affected us. I feel sorry for my customers who could not stay longer in my shop because I could no longer turn on the air-con,” he said.
In as much as he would like to supply his customers with cheaper and wider variety of fish, Lee said he could only hope that the economy will get better.
He said he began to notice that his customers have been opting to spend less.
Despite the slow economy, Lee said he would continue to serve the Saipan clientele.
Although he said admittedly he doesn’t earn that much from selling aquariums these days due to the economic downturn, he said he finds satisfaction in sharing his love for this hobby with the residents.
His store is open Monday through Saturday.
For those who would like to pursue this as a hobby, Lee said, “If you really love it, you will be an expert.”
Interested parties who wish to have their aquariums custom made can contact Lee at 235-1152 or 483-5552.{jcomments off}
