Following in his late father’s footsteps, Mr Mohammed Salleh Marican made his entrepreneurial debut into menswear tailoring in 1975, which unfortunately failed a mere four months later. Undeterred, he decided to try again five months later, aptly naming his business Second Chance. This time, he specialised in readymade men’s clothing.

Riding on the popularity, Mr Salleh decided to embrace a Western image for Second Chance when advertising. With its affordable pricing and Western branding, Second Chance soon became a household name. By 1988, Second Chance had opened 25 outlets through franchising, with 18 in Singapore and seven in Malaysia.  However, Mr Salleh faced his toughest challenge after he won his first big award. Sales declined sharply, and many outlets became unprofitable.  Mr Salleh was forced to change his strategy to revive the business, closing 21 out of 25 stores.

In 1992, he identified a niche and diversified into Malay women’s traditional clothing with the launch of First Lady. It proved to be a hit, and remains highly popular today. Its resounding success led him to venture into retailing gold jewellery under the name Golden Chance.

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First Lady (#01-01) was the first shop by Mr Salleh’s Second Chance Properties to open in Tanjong Katong Complex in 1992. Golden Chance subsequently opened in 1993, and is the sole gold retail outlet of Second Chance Properties, selling gold ornaments and jewellery that cater to the Malay community, across all demographics. The shops are now currently being managed by executive manager Mr Mohammad Azlan. After more than two decades, Second Chance Properties’ shops remains highly trusted and sought after by the Malay community in Geylang to cater to their fashion needs.

The executive manager, Mr Azlan, has stated that Second Chance will continue its business even after the demolition of TKC. They will remain within Geylang so as to continue serving the Malay community.