“He was deeply loved and respected by so many”
10:54, 10 Feb 2026Updated 10:56, 10 Feb 2026
Shopkeeper Walayti Singh, who opened a corner shop in St Paul’s, Bristol, in 1972 and ran it for more than 50 years. He died on Saturday, February 7, at the age of 83(Image: Bristol Post/Google Maps/Singh family)
Tributes have been paid to a community legend who ran a corner shop in Bristol for more than 50 years, after his death on Saturday (February 7).
Father of ten Walayti Singh – known to generations of families in St Pauls as simply ‘Mr Singh’ or ‘Uncle’ – first opened a general store on the corner of Brighton Street and Argyle Road in the heart of St Pauls way back in 1972, just four years after he first came to Bristol from his hometown of Dehradun in India back in 1968.
He served the community for more than 50 years, until stepping back during the Covid pandemic. The store which bears his name is still very much open, with his children and grandchildren serving the children and grandchildren of his first customers all those years ago.
The St Pauls Carnival led the tributes to Mr Singh. “St Pauls Carnival would like to offer its heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr Singh of W Singh Convenience Stores following his recent passing,” a spokesperson said.
“For many in the community, W Singh’s is an iconic part of St Pauls. Mr Singh served local residents for over 50 years from his shop on Brighton Street and was deeply loved and respected by so many,” she added. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time.”
Mr Singh first came to Bristol because his two brothers were already here, back in 1968, in search of a better life. He left his wife and – at that time, three children – back in India, and faced significant hardship in the late 1960s Bristol.
“He couldn’t speak English, but even more than that, he didn’t know how to read or write, in English or in his language Punjabi,” said his daughter Serita Kaur.
Shopkeeper Walayti Singh, who opened a corner shop in St Paul’s, Bristol, in 1972 and ran it for more than 50 years. He died on Saturday, February 7, at the age of 83(Image: Bristol Post/Google Maps/Singh family)
“He found it very difficult to get a job, but he was determined and hard working, and he instilled that in us all our lives.
“He took inspiration from back in India, where people travel around selling things on the streets and at people’s houses. He got a bicycle and a big suitcase, and began going around Bristol selling anything and everything. He sold bed sheets, household cleaning products, duvet covers, men’s trousers and shirts – you name it. I have no idea where he got the things from.”
“He would tell us later that he found people the most welcoming in St Pauls. People there were mainly from Africa, India or Jamaica, and he was able to connect with them. He was hard-working and within a few months he was able to earn enough to bring over his wife and three children, who joined him in Bristol,” Serita explained.
“He never forgot those early years – he often talked about how much he loved his ‘sheckle’ – he couldn’t say ‘cycle’,” she added.
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By 1972, Mr Singh had saved enough to buy part of the building that would become the legendary Mr Singh’s. “We lived above. It did well, and after a short while he was able to buy the next door property too. He went out into the street and found someone who came in and helped him knock down the wall between the two buildings and that’s how the shop got bigger,” Serita said.
“It was a very close metaphor for how he was – if he saw a wall, he would just break it down, it’s how he overcame every challenge,” she added.
More children, including Serita in 1974, followed and by the time of his death on Saturday at the age of 83, he had ten children with his beloved wife Savindar. They had 25 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren – and counting.
W Singh Stores became an important focal point for the St Pauls community in the 1970s, so much so that when the St Pauls riots happened in April 1980, his store was not touched, while some other businesses were smashed up.
W Singh Stores, pictured in 2008(Image: Bristol Post/Google Maps/Singh family)
“I remember it well, although I was only five,” said Serita. “I remember the stories my father would tell about it. He said that people were going around saying that if Mr Singh’s was touched there would be big trouble for whoever did it, and also the police came with a police dog to protect it at one point,” she added.
“The main thing I remember about that time was afterwards. A lot of other businesses moved out. St Pauls was not considered a good place to be. But my father was determined. I remember some in the family wanted him to move. They even found a nice bungalow for him to move to – his response was ‘you must be joking, you go and live there, I’m not leaving. I am not leaving St Pauls,” said Serita.
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“I remember St Pauls was a lovely place to be for us growing up. We knew everyone, and it was a community. We had families who relied on us, and us on them. He built this empire on his own hard work,” she said.
Tragedy befell the family – his son tragically died of pneumonia in 1981. “There were very dark times, but the community supported him with love, they lifted him up and he never forgot that,” said Serita.
Mr Singh remained behind the counter with Savindar until well into his late 70s. “We stayed open during the Covid pandemic, but we were all so worried about both my parents getting Covid that they took a step back, and stayed upstairs in their home, and we stepped in more and ran the shop.
“He couldn’t help himself though, he would still be down if we were shortstaffed or if someone had to go out,” she added.
W Singh Stores, pictured in 2012(Image: Bristol Post/Google Maps/Singh family)
Thankfully, both survived the pandemic, and W Singh Stores went from strength to strength – celebrating 50 years of being at the heart of the community, with a huge party back in 2022.
Mr Singh was in good health until only a few weeks ago, when he was taken ill and died on Saturday. “About three weeks before his death, he had to apply for an attendance allowance, and we realised it was the first time he had ever had any kind of benefits at all. He came to Bristol from India with nothing, couldn’t read or write, but never claimed off the state once,” said Serita.
“Everything he had he got for himself through hard work, and it was the same for all of us. Not one of his children has ever claimed any benefit. He taught us to work hard, only get what you need and if you want more you have to work for it – and not one of his children has relied on the Government,” she added.
The community in St Pauls is in mourning after the news of Mr Singh’s death broke over the weekend. The shop and home in Brighton Street was opened for condolences on Monday and will be later this week, as people of all generations in St Pauls honoured their community legend.
“He was a hero,” said Serita.