When Brendan Wong considers what he wants for his two young daughters, he says he thinks about the experience he had growing up, racing between the fruit stalls at his family’s small grocery store in Abbotsford, B.C.

“We’d be running around here on our bikes and tractors, weaving through customers,” said Brendan, the third-generation general manager of Howard Wong Farms.

“It teaches you how to work at a young age. Social skills, how to hold a conversation. And just the meaning of community and family. I think it really drives it in you.”

Almost six decades since Brendan’s grandparents, Howard Wong Sr. and Darlene Wong, started Howard Wong Farms in the city’s Matsqui Prairie, Brendan and his wife Tamara are taking over the business, set to reopen on March 7 after being closed for three years.

The grocer with deep roots in the neighbourhood closed indefinitely in 2023, as Brendan’s parents wanted to step back from the business after many years serving the community.

At that point, Brendan and Tamara were still focused on their own careers and growing their family.

“We weren’t just ready to take the helm right away. So, we decided to shut down, kind of see what our options are. Figure out what we wanted to do,” said Brendan.

“Having two young daughters now, you kind of miss, you know, experiencing how you were raised in here.”

Brendan’s dad, Howard Wong Jr., says when they locked the doors three years ago, it was with the hope that a child or grandchild would open them again one day.

“And that’s what’s happened. It’s been wonderful. It’s a dream come true for myself and my parents,” he said.

Howard Wong Sr. and Darlene Wong started farming in Mission and Richmond in the ‘60s before settling in the District of Matsqui in 1974, which would not officially become part of Abbotsford until 1995.

Brendan said his grandma Darlene managed the shop while Howard Sr. worked on the fields.

“She’s kind of the backbone of the store. My grandpa was, you know, he was the farmer, always in the fields, you know, would pop in and out,” said Brendan.

A farmhouse sits on the same lot as the grocery store, where Howard Jr. and his family moved in the early ’70s.

“My dad’s relations came from China,” said Howard Jr. “I believe there was a dozen of us living in this house at one time. One bathroom. But that’s what we did. You made room for family and everybody got along. It was just a wonderful time.”

Neighbourhood excited for a comeback

Brendan said the positive response to “Wong’s” coming back has been “overwhelming,” with many on social media sharing memories of visiting the store over the years or working there.

One of the community keepsakes in the store is a big wooden door peppered with fruit stickers.

“… the amount of people that commented and said something about how they remember as kids coming in and taking the sticker off their apples or bananas and putting them up. It’s pretty cool,” said Tamara.