Popular pet store Big Fish Little Fish is closing its door for good after decades of serving the community.

By Harry Kane

The fish tanks have been drained and the pet store everybody liked is closing down. Whether you are a big fish or little fish in Somerville, it’s sad to see the popular pet store in Porter Square come to an end.

“It’s the end of an era,” says Armand Ghioni, owner of the pet shop.

The pet store, which carried a variety of tropical and freshwater fish, small animals and pet supplies, has been in operation since 1971, explained Ghioni. He fondly remembers when he began working there, cleaning the hamster cages, back in 1978, while he attended the John F. Kennedy School.

“When I graduated high school, you can’t make no money working at a pet shop, so I left, I quit,” explains Ghioni.

He left for several years, but couldn’t stay away for long. Ghioni would soon return to his boyhood job in 1990, but this time to take over as the owner.

“When people are happy, they go buy a pet. When they are sad, they go buy a pet,” says Ghioni.

The windows were filled with letters and pictures from students collected over the years.

It’s not that business was bad, it’s just the end of an era, he explains. Ghioni is ready to turn the page and start a new chapter in his life.

“With the inflation and everything, with the new generation, hamsters and gerbils are dead,” says Ghioni. “Kids don’t want to take care of hamsters and gerbils anymore.”

While sales have slowed down for pocket pets and some pet-related items, Ghioni says that sales increased for fish due to more people working at home during the pandemic years.

From betta fish to chinchillas to exotic pagoda snails, to tarantulas and turtles to parrots and bamboo shrimp, Ghioni and his pet store will always be remembered in the hearts and minds of the community for his knowledge, care, and genuine love of animals.