It’s no secret that Bukit Merah View Market is very popular. Its more prominent hawker stalls have fans from all over Singapore and long queues daily.

 

But even at a market this busy, there is a relatively out-of-the-way spot without many visitors. At Bukit Merah View, this happens to be where you can find a verdant, vibrant row of three stalls offering plants for ornamental/religious purposes.

 

 

The newest stall 

 

The most recent addition to this spot is XH Florist, which opened in July 2025.

 

While the stall is only a few months old, its owner Alvin is no newcomer to his industry. He first got interested in plants years ago, while running deliveries for plant nurseries. 

 

Encouraged by the nursery owners and with support from his family – particularly his dad, who’s a keen gardening hobbyist – Alvin set up a store on Carousell around 2023. This online store is called X_H_Florist and it is still his main sales channel.

 

 

Recognising that many customers prefer to personally see and touch a plant before they buy it; and observing how his contemporaries are generating even more revenue from physical stores, Alvin decided to set up his store at Bukit Merah View.

 

XH Florist offers live ornamental plants (including bonsais) at competitive prices, along with gardening supplies like soil and pots, as well as Alvin’s expertise to safely re-pot plants.

 

Alvin tries his best to bring in new and interesting plants to introduce to his customers. He is also happy to help customers source for specific types of plants – but is quick to caveat that he cannot guarantee a 100% success rate at finding them.

 

3 generations of plant vendors

 

We mentioned earlier that there are three plant stalls here. 

 

Next to Alvin’s stall, a veteran husband-and-wife team specialises in flowers for prayers. Chatting with the couple, we were awed by the depth of knowledge needed to do what they do. From which varieties of flowers to stock at different times of the year to the colours preferred for specific ceremonies, they are living encyclopaedias of the kind of specialist know-how that would be near-impossible to find online. 

 

 

At the next stall over, an even more senior stallholder offers a mix of both ceremonial and ornamental plants. 

 

Together, they meet most of the nearby residents’ plant-related needs.

 

Biggest challenge

 

After a few weeks at this location, Alvin realised that the biggest issue faced by him and his neighbouring stalls is the low foot traffic to their area compared with the rest of the market.

 

This is a shame, as that little corner of the market has quite a lot to discover. Around the three plant stalls are vendors offering clothes alteration, aquatic pets, toys and miscellaneous household items.

 

Though Alvin has an online store, it is unlikely that any of his neighbours do – so an increased flow of shoppers through their part of the market will really be helpful to all of them.

 

Show your support!

 

Now that you know about this colourful corner of Bukit Merah View Market, don’t forget to swing by the next time you’re there. Let’s show our local business owners the love and support they deserve.