A beloved local business in Centretown is closing its doors after more than half a century serving Ottawa.
Aziz & Company was opened in 1965 by a family who moved to Canada from India. Since, it has been a staple in the community.
“When I first came, it was hard, people didn’t even know what India was,” said Zubeda Ujjainwala, who opened the Bank St. store with her late husband, Aziz.
“It was an experience, but I knew if I could sell something I loved, people would love it,” she said.
Ujjainwala said it was truly a family business – that when her children came along, she would take them to the store with her.
“They [family members] said well give it to a babysitter, and at the time I didn’t know what a babysitter was, so I said ‘no I want to keep my kids with me,’ so they literally grew up behind the counter here,” she said.
Since that time, the business has been passed down to her daughters. Sheena Zain said she made the difficult decision to close in order to spend time with her mom.
“It’s hard, I know I’ve made the right decision, but it’s a hard decision and there are so many memories that are flooding up” Zain said.
The family held ‘chai and goodbye’ party on Saturday to let the public know they are leaving.
They will hand over the keys to the store in two months.
