Farah Zafarzadeh

I grew up in a big family in Afghanistan. When the Soviets invaded, we sought refuge in Iran, leaving behind relatives and friends. When the war in Afghanistan continued and the Taliban took over, we decided to head to Canada as refugees. We landed in Toronto on September 15, 1995. That was a great day.

We ended up in a women’s shelter as we had nowhere to go. While it was certainly nice to have a roof over our heads, the atmosphere there was bad, and it scared me. My sons hated being in the shelter and I had to remind them it was not meant to be forever.

When distant relatives found out we had arrived in Canada and were in a shelter, and after I told them about the conditions we were in, they urged me to come to Peterborough. Once we got to Peterborough, we never looked back. After only a month in a Peterborough shelter, we were able to find an apartment to rent.

We moved into that apartment with nothing. I had no money, I went to the Salvation Army and picked up a couple of pots and pans, some dishes, and cutlery. I also went to the Food Bank and picked up some flour and a few other items. That was how we started our new life.

I struggled with English. My translator was someone who barely spoke English herself. I am amazed at how anyone knew what I needed or what my story was. There was no money. I had no support either. But these challenges just made me stronger – that’s what life struggles do. I always asked God for strength, and He gave it to me.

My biggest challenge was yet to come. I was in a controlling relationship. When I finally decided to leave my husband, no one understood or supported me. In our culture, we live by the opinion of others. And while I am proud of my culture, I have decided to keep the best of both Eastern and Western worlds and abandon practices that keep me unhappy.

Some people try to keep you in one spot, not support you. I did not want that kind of pressure. I wanted to enjoy life. Laugh. So I created my own family with my wonderful friends. I know I’m the black sheep and I accept that. I want to tell other women and young girls that nothing should stop them from being free and doing what they need to do to be successful.

I did not get a chance to continue with my studies because my focus was on my children. I had to work to support them because their future is more important to me than my own. I spent time working at an alterations store and began to realize that there were a lot of opportunities for business in Peterborough. You can do anything on any scale here and it will work.

I sent out flyers when I first opened First Stitch. I struggled for six months financially, but even then, the business carried itself and I got a lot of support from the public. In my experience, people are really supportive of new businesses in Peterborough. In return, I value my customers. It is really important for me to know their names, and they like that. They wonder how I remember them. They are the people in my life. They are my friends.

I do not have a lot of competition here, because I cater to an upscale market. Patience is important to work on tricky garments, and to return them to clients the way they want them. With items that are worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, you don’t want to rush. Before you take anything apart, you have to put a lot of thought into putting it back together. I can spend anywhere from nine to 12 hours working on a fur coat. But I enjoy that because knowing that people trust me with these valuable possessions gives me comfort.

I guarantee my job and stand behind it. Because of that, I have built a good reputation. It took me a long time to build it, but it’s been worth it! Today, I feel well connected with the Peterborough community. My customers come here from as far away as Haliburton, and they all leave my store with a smile.

I came to Canada with hope and never stopped hoping. I never sat back to wait for life to happen to me. I always worked for a better future. I am living that better future now, but it has been very tough. I consider myself to be rich, not financially. My children are my true wealth. I worked hard to raise them and put them through school and that’s everything to me. What more could I want?

My advice to newcomers to Peterborough would be:

• Good customer service and a high-quality product are the keys to maintaining a successful business.
• Don’t be a follower. Be a leader. Over time, others will accept your decisions, even if they are against it at first. Never fear others.
• We are not getting any younger, only older. We shouldn’t cover ourselves with a shell. We should use right now, today, not wait for tomorrow.
• Encourage yourself. Encourage, encourage, encourage. Don’t worry about how long it takes. Keep pushing and saying to yourself "Yes, I can".