Daughter revives father's 34-year shoe shop in London with TikTok buzz
Zineb Lazraq used TikTok to showcase her dad’s long-standing shoe store, turning a looming closure into lines of customers outside the Shoreditch shop.
Rachid Lazraq, a 59-year-old shoemaker, faced the prospect of closing his Shoreditch store after rising rents and shifting demographics eroded his traditional African customer base. His daughter Zineb, who grew up watching the business, created a TikTok video highlighting the shop’s vintage-style footwear, which resonated with younger shoppers and quickly went viral. The exposure generated long queues outside the shop, reviving sales and allowing the family to remove a “closing” sign in early June.
Zineb, despite lacking retail experience, began working on the floor and set up a TikTok Shop to reach international buyers. While the initial frenzy has eased, the store now enjoys steadier weekday traffic and busy Saturdays, and the father hopes other small owners will see the value of social media early on.
Why it matters
Shows how social media can rescue struggling local businesses by reaching new customers.
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