The young racquet stringer who went viral while keeping his family business alive
The young racquet stringer who went viral while keeping his family business alive
Located in Queensway Shopping Centre, the hum of a stringing machine draws attention to Smashsports—where 22-year-old Mohamed Hashim Marecar quietly became a social media star.
Making videos for social media started just as a "fun thing" in 2022, before one of his first videos — wrapping a fresh new grip on a racquet — drew 30,000 views in one day.
Since then, a video of him stringing and packing a badminton racquet, filmed by his brother, has clocked six million views.
One fan flew from the Philippines just to visit the store. “That really touched me. We opened early for him.”
"I was always here helping out my father from five years old. It started from just following him at the shop, just sitting down and slowly being given small tasks, helping out a bit, and it became a passion," said Mr Hashim.
Mr Hashim, who is the youngest of four siblings, now runs daily operations with his 36-year-old oldest sibling, Mr Mohamed Mohaiyadeen Marecar (right), who left his job of 10 years in finance to join the store full-time in late 2025.
