From Lily Pond Emporium to Fitz’s Fish Ponds: Celebrating a New Chapter in Mount Holly, NJ
Sep 10th 2026
Fitz’s Fish Ponds celebrated the grand opening of its Mount Holly, New Jersey, location on June 20, 2026, but the story behind the store began decades before the FFP name appeared on the building.
For longtime pond and water-garden enthusiasts in South Jersey, 1690 S. Pemberton Road in Mount Holly is already a familiar destination.
Formerly home to Lily Pond Emporium, the location has deep roots in the local pond community — roots that Fitz’s Fish Ponds is proud to preserve as it introduces expanded access to Japanese koi, aquatic plants, pond supplies, construction, maintenance, and professional water-feature services throughout South Jersey.
On June 20, those two histories came together as customers, friends, and members of the pond community gathered to officially celebrate Fitz’s Fish Ponds Mount Holly.
A Passion for Water Gardening That Spans More Than 40 Years
At the heart of the Mount Holly story is Ed Schnoor. Ed's connection to ponds and aquatic life began long before Lily Pond Emporium. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he developed a love of the outdoors at a young age and eventually turned that interest into a career.
In the 1980s, Ed founded Aquatic Gardens, initially focusing on water lilies and water-garden supplies. Along the way, he expanded his knowledge by working with established names in the water-gardening industry, including Lily Pons Water Gardens and Tricker's Water Gardens. As Aquatic Gardens grew, pond maintenance and service became part of the business, along with nationwide distribution. Then, in 2009, Ed and his wife launched Lily Pond Emporium.
What followed was years of helping customers select aquatic plants, care for their ponds and solve the challenges that inevitably come with maintaining a living backyard ecosystem. Lily Pond Emporium became an established resource for South Jersey pond owners and water-garden enthusiasts. It's this history that was one of the things Fitz’s Fish Ponds wanted to preserve.
Continuing the Lily Pond Emporium Legacy
In 2025, Fitz’s Fish Ponds acquired Lily Pond Emporium as part of the company's continued expansion. The acquisition gave FFP a stronger presence in South Jersey while bringing together two businesses built around a shared passion for ponds and aquatic life.
But this wasn't intended to erase what came before. Ed joined the Fitz’s Fish Ponds team and remained at the location as Retail Store Manager, allowing longtime customers to continue working with someone they had trusted for years while gaining access to the larger network of products, livestock, and services available through FFP.
For Fitz’s Fish Ponds Founder and CEO Brian Fitzsimmons, the acquisition was an opportunity to build on an established reputation.
“Lily Pond Emporium has built a fantastic reputation in the industry, and we are honored to continue their legacy while bringing the Fitz’s Fish Ponds experience to the South Jersey community,” Fitzsimmons said when the acquisition was announced.”
It's this philosophy that has set the stage for the store's next chapter.
June 20: Mount Holly Gets Its Official Grand Opening
Although the ownership transition took place in 2025, Fitz’s Fish Ponds wanted to give the Mount Holly location—and the surrounding community—a proper celebration. That happened on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., customers gathered at the Mount Holly store for a family-friendly day dedicated to everything including ponds, koi, and water gardening.
The official ribbon-cutting took place at 10:30 a.m., symbolically marking the transition from Lily Pond Emporium to Fitz’s Fish Ponds Mount Holly.
And the celebration started almost immediately. The first 25 customers received a free Tosai koi, kicking off a full schedule of giveaways that continued every hour throughout the event.
Guests had chances to win everything from FFP merchandise and gift cards to pond equipment, fish food, aquatic plants and koi. Giveaways featured products from brands including Microbe-Lift, Evolution Aqua and Pond Potions, while several lucky attendees went home with Nisai and Sansai koi.
The final giveaway even included a VIP ticket to Koi Fest, Fitz’s Fish Ponds' annual celebration of the koi hobby.
Koi Take Center Stage
Of course, it wouldn't be a Fitz’s Fish Ponds grand opening without koi. The Mount Holly event gave South Jersey customers another opportunity to experience one of the areas that has become central to FFP's identity: Japanese imported koi.
Fitz’s Fish Ponds travels directly to Japan to hand-select koi from breeders for its Milford farm, retail stores, and customers. The company's Mount Holly grand-opening brochure noted that more than 50,000 koi were imported from Japan during the preceding winter, with fish ranging from Tosai through Yonsai available across FFP's inventory.
The Mount Holly store now provides another local destination for customers searching for Japanese koi while also connecting serious collectors with FFP's much larger inventory at its Milford, New Jersey, koi farm.
FFP is one of the largest U.S. importer of Japanese koi, and our team travels to Japan multiple times each year to select fish directly from breeders.
More Than Koi: A Resource for South Jersey Pond Owners
The grand opening also gave customers a chance to see how much is available through Fitz’s Fish Ponds.
While koi may attract plenty of attention, the Mount Holly location serves customers looking for aquatic plants, pond supplies, pumps, filtration equipment, water treatments and other pond essentials, along with professional guidance from an experienced team.
Through Fitz’s Fish Ponds, customers can also access services extending well beyond the retail store, including pond and water-feature construction, pond service and maintenance, landscaping and stonework.
This unique combination is makes the Mount Holly location particularly special. Customers have Ed's decades of experience in water gardening and aquatic plants at the local level while gaining access to FFP's expertise in koi, filtration, pond construction, maintenance, and larger-scale water features.
Celebrating the Pond Community
More than anything, the June 20 grand opening was about bringing people together. Longtime Lily Pond Emporium customers mingled with new FFP customers. Pond hobbyists could ask questions, browse fish and plants, meet members of the Fitz’s Fish Ponds team and simply spend time with other people who share their enthusiasm for the hobby.
The event also coincided with FFP's Father's Day promotion, which offered 20% off fish and aquatic plants from June 19–21, giving customers another reason to make the trip to Mount Holly.
The turnout helped demonstrate exactly why maintaining a physical destination for the South Jersey pond community is important.
A pond store isn't simply somewhere to buy a pump or pick out a fish. For many hobbyists, it's where questions get answered, ideas begin, relationships form and a casual interest can turn into a lifelong passion. That's a tradition Ed Schnoor helped establish in Mount Holly — and one Fitz’s Fish Ponds intends to continue.
A New Name, a Continued Commitment
The sign may now say Fitz’s Fish Ponds, but the history behind the Mount Holly store remains an important part of its identity. From Ed's beginnings with Aquatic Gardens in the 1980s, to the opening of Lily Pond Emporium in 2009, to joining Fitz’s Fish Ponds in 2025 and celebrating the location's official FFP grand opening in 2026, the story spans more than four decades of dedication to ponds and water gardening.
Now, that experience is being paired with the resources and continued growth of Fitz’s Fish Ponds. For pond owners, koi collectors, and water-garden enthusiasts throughout Mount Holly, Burlington County, and South Jersey, the result is a familiar destination entering a new era. And judging by the crowd that came out to celebrate on June 20, it's a new chapter the local pond community was ready to welcome.
Visit Fitz’s Fish Ponds in Mount Holly
Whether you’ve been visiting since the Lily Pond Emporium days or are planning your first pond, we invite you to be part of this next chapter. Stop by Fitz’s Fish Ponds at 1690 S. Pemberton Road in Mount Holly, NJ, to explore Japanese koi, aquatic plants, and pond essentials while getting advice from Ed and the team. Bring your questions, share your ideas, and find inspiration for your own backyard.
Plan your visit to Fitz’s Fish Ponds Mount Holly and experience a local tradition that continues to grow.
