08/10/2026
That’s a wrap. ❤️
Saturday was a bittersweet day, to say the least. We had people waiting in line 45 minutes before we even opened, and so many of our regulars came out to see us on our last day. We had customers make the trip from Champaign, Lincoln, Bloomington, Springfield, Decatur, Mt. Zion, Peoria, and even Danville. Knowing people traveled that far just to support us on our final day means more than I can put into words.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting some of the things we still have available for sale, so stay tuned for those updates.
This has been an incredible run for our little store and for a hobby that I am so incredibly passionate about. Saturday night, I went down to my fish room in the basement and, for the first time in a long time, I simply sat and watched my fish.
And honestly, it felt really good.
I’m looking forward to being able to enjoy my fish again and having a little more time to breathe between my regular 9–5 job, family, volunteering, and the other side jobs I have going on. Even though the store was only open seven hours a week, the work certainly didn’t stop when the doors closed. I was spending time every single day maintaining tanks, ordering, feeding, organizing, marketing, answering messages, and trying to keep up with everything that comes with running a business.
There just weren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done, and unfortunately, our family life suffered because of it.
As I sat there Saturday night watching my fish, I felt a huge sense of relief. Relief that I can hopefully take some of the energy and time that went into the store and redirect it toward other things — including my family, my own fish, and maybe even just taking a breath once in a while.
I want to sincerely thank every single one of our customers for making the last couple of years so special. You all made this experience so much better than I ever could have imagined. I’m especially going to miss seeing so many of you on the weekly schedule I had grown accustomed to.
Being able to come in, talk fish, share knowledge, troubleshoot problems, and help people learn about fish and reptile keeping has been such a rewarding experience. I’ll always look back on this chapter as a core memory.
While our brick-and-mortar store is officially closed, this isn’t necessarily the end of J Squared Aquatics. We will continue promoting the Central Illinois Fish Swap, and after a brief hiatus, I do plan to eventually have a small operation running out of our basement.
So, for now, thank you. Thank you for supporting our little store, for trusting us, for stopping in, for asking questions, for sharing your hobby with us, and for making these last couple of years something I’ll never forget.
Here’s to the next chapter. 🐟❤️
