For 34 years, Rachid Lazraq ran his shoe shop in Shoreditch, East London, building a business around a loyal customer base. But as the neighbourhood changed, so did his customers. Rising rents, gentrification and the arrival of chains, coffee shops and newer stores left his family business struggling.At one point, the 59-year-old was preparing to close Rich Collection Italia. Then his daughter, Zineb Lazraq, stepped in and discovered that the shoes her father had been selling for years could appeal to an entirely new generation. Zineb helped rescue the shoe store after using TikTok to show younger customers the shoes he had been selling for decades.
28 Jul 2026 | 16:22
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Today, the shop that was once close to shutting down has customers lining up outside for hours, largely after Zineb began promoting it through TikTok.According to PEOPLE, Zineb, 25, had watched her father work in the shop throughout her childhood. She says the business was doing well when she was younger, but began struggling during her teenage years.“The whole street where my dad’s shoe shop is was full of other shoe shops like his,” Zineb told PEOPLE. “There were many shops just like his on that street, but over the years, they all started closing down because the rent prices were really high, so they weren’t able to sustain the business.”
“His old customers stopped coming”
Rachid did not want to leave the area simply because rents were rising, but the change in Shoreditch made it increasingly difficult to keep the shop going. Zineb explained that her father had traditionally served many older African customers. As the neighbourhood became more fashionable and attracted chains, cafes and shoppers, many of his regular customers stopped visiting or came less frequently.“It wasn’t his primary customer base, which were older African customers, a lot of them,” she told PEOPLE. “They stopped coming or they just didn’t come as frequently. He thought the business had run its end.”The family was therefore preparing for the possibility that Rich Collection Italia would close after more than three decades.
Then a TikTok video changed everything
Zineb Lazraq inside their shoe store. (Photo credit: PEOPLE)
The unexpected turnaround began in May when a French TikToker visited the store and described it as a “hidden gem”. The video received more than 3 lakh views. Zineb was surprised by the response. She noticed that people were interested in the shoes her father had been selling all along.Growing up, Zineb had assumed that her father mainly sold what she describes as “auntie shoes for older ladies”. She had not realized that some of the styles could fit the Y2K fashion trend popular with younger shoppers.“As soon as I found that out, I thought, let me make my own TikTok,” she told PEOPLE. With a background in video editing through her work as a journalist, Zineb created a video showing her father’s store and some of its Y2K-style sandals. That video wnet viral.“Then that blew up, and then the lines started forming after that,” she said. “So I continued making more videos, and very quickly I realized, ‘Oh, this is my new job for now,’” she told PEOPLE.
The daughter who came to help became part of the business
The sudden popularity created a new problem. Now, there were too many customers to handle alone. The shoes, many of which sell for around 75 US dollars, began attracting crowds, with an hours-long line forming outside the shop.“My dad needs a shop assistant to deal with the lines and the demand,” Zineb told PEOPLE. Despite having no retail experience, she began working at the store and learning on the job.The turnaround came just in time. The shop had been expected to close in late June, and Rachid had even put up a closing sign. But after the surge in customers, he was able to remove it on June 10.
From closing down to bringing in new stock
The initial social media frenzy has slowed, but the shop is still attracting customers. Zineb says Saturdays continue to bring large crowds, while weekdays now have quieter periods and a more consistent flow of customers.The family is also thinking beyond the physical store. “For me, I want to make sure that we establish an online brand,” Zineb said.She has received messages from people around the world who want to buy her father’s shoes and has already created a TikTok Shop.
A father’s business becomes a daughter’s project
For Zineb, the experience has also brought a sense of regret. “There was a part of me that was like, ‘Why didn’t I do this sooner?’ My dad was struggling for years; I could have done this sooner,” she said. But she also believes the timing worked out for a reason.For Zineb, watching her father’s struggling business turn into a busy local store has been “amazing.”
What her father wants other small businesses to learn
Zineb Lazraq with her father. (Photo credit: Zineb Lazraq / SWNS)
The experience has changed Rachid’s view of social media, too. According to Zineb, her father did not previously understand “the power of social media or how important it is for a small business to have social media”. Now, he hopes other struggling business owners understand its potential much earlier.Zineb says her father encourages other small-business owners not to give up, even when things become difficult.“He says that he encourages other people who are struggling with a small business to keep going because it was really hard for him to keep going at times, but he had the hope that it would pick up again,” she told PEOPLE.For now, Rachid is still behind the counter, the shop remains packed with shoes, new deliveries are arriving and his daughter is building its online presence. A business he once thought had reached its end has instead found a new generation of customers, with his daughter helping him find them.
What parents can learn from this father-daughter story
The story also offers a practical lesson for parents. It is that children may understand new trends, technology and changing customer habits in ways their parents may not. Rachid had years of experience running his shop, but Zineb understood how younger customers were discovering products through social media.Parents do not always have to teach their children everything; sometimes, giving them space to contribute can help both generations learn from each other. For families running a small business, this can mean involving children in areas they are comfortable with such as social media, photography, online selling, branding or technology while allowing parents to remain in charge of the experience and decisions. The key is not to expect children to “save” a family business, but to recognize their skills and give them a chance to use them.
