Q: So you were saying.

A: I was staying with my in-laws; helping them to cook, clean, anything they wanted me to do, they had a shop and I used to help them and then I had my little daughter.

Q: At what age?

A: Sixteen, and I got married age of fourteen … I didn’t know I was a child myself, I still remember she used to cry and I used to cry, “What shall I do? How do I hold her? How do I make her Quiet? ”.
Anyway, I was really, really happy, I was really over the moon with my daughter because I got something of my own and somehow I took some time out and made little dresses with needle and thread with my hand and I was really long and I didn’t know what to do because I had no… I didn’t know how to cut the dress or and a half or three and, yeah I made her a dress and I still remember everybody says ‘Wow, it’s lovely’, there were no sleeves, because I didn’t know how to put sleeves on, just a simple cut.
And then yeah, from there I was raising my kids up and they were growing up and I still didn’t realize I wanted to do something for myself.
And then my husband bought a business; I started working with him in the restaurant, behind, in the kitchen and everywhere just helping in and doing this and that.
Then I had another one, another son, he was fine, I had a son and then I had, first my daughter, then after that I had another two girls so I thought ‘Oh yes, I would love to make Sheelwar Kameez’, because here you can buy dresses, but you could not buy small Sheelwar Kameez! I did make some, maybe silly ones or whatever, but everybody used to say, yeah because I put Gota and everything on because it was Eid and I made it for them too and then suddenly I said, I used to come to come to Ladypool Road from Cardiff I was only little, my dad used to bring us here to buy some meat and all this.

Q: So you used to travel all the way from Cardiff to this place?

A: Yes, once a month.

Q: So there was no other Asian place that you could go to?

A: No, not in Cardiff.

Q: And so in Birmingham you came straight to Ladypool Road.

A: Straight to Ladypool Road, obviously we would go to Soho Road (8:47min) and Stratford Road but especially to Ladypool Road because Ladypool Road was all this Halal meat and everything so we used to come here and I used to find it really, really nice and amazing and I used to tell my friend ‘I’ve been to Pakistan’. Honestly, that’s what I used to think and then I got married in Birmingham.

Q: Wow full circle

Q: So when did you decide to come over and live in Birmingham?

A: I didn’t decide, I got and arranged marriage.

Q: And how come you decided to open up your boutiQue here?

A: It was my dream. I did tell my husband, I really like to do that and he used to say ‘Oh you’re not capable, you can’t do it you know, you know you can’t do it because, look at the way you made them little dresses, they weren’t nice were they?’ and I said’ Oh really, oh you’re right…’
But nobody told me that you could go to school or college and learn something.

Q: Right, nobody guided you.

A: Nobody guided me. So I said, ok then; suddenly I started, because I was married and my in-laws were in Pakistan, half of them, so my husband took me to Pakistan and I bought some dresses and I thought they were really nice and I designed them, put the colors together and all this and then all the friends and family used to say “Ouh, can you bring us this?”
And that’s how I used to think “Oh, all right”, I used to bring them things sometimes, and then I thought that I couldn’t afford to do that all the time, but then they started giving me a little bit of money, to bring suits, you know.
So I said to my husband again, “I would like to open a boutiQue” and my husband says the same thing again “No you can’t do it”.

Q: So that’s where it really started…

A: Yes, people were admiring my clothes
And then well, after a long time, I mean this is a long time, I’m nearly old now and now there is so much competition now. So much competition, but I started from home.

Q: Right, you started making dresses at home?

A: Yes, I started from home.

Q: How did your husband feel about that? Sowing at home, making your own designs at home? Was he encouraging when he saw you?

A: The only reason I really started was because my husband became very ill. And he was in hospital for a couple of months then he had to have an operation and he’s partly disabled.
So he said “You can have a go”.

Q: That’s interesting, that perhaps when he felt that he felt that he wasn’t able to support the family he felt he could pass on that responsibility onto you.

A: I think it was that, yes, I could’ve done a lot, lot better fifteen years ago, earlier, I knew I could but at the moment there is so much competition but Alhamdu Lillah, I am doing well and it’s only word of mouth and Ladypool Road because Ladypool Road is so popular in Asian clothes, people are just coming round here.

Q: You mentioned that you used to come here, come from Cardiff to Ladypool Road, now looking at this place and before, your memory of it when you were younger, what changes have you seen?

A: It’s hell of a different because when we used to come then at that time, 70’s and the 80’s, there were only men in the shops. And I remember half of the time my Dad and my Uncle use to say, “You can stay in the car because there are too many men in there”

Q: So you weren’t aloud to step out.

A: No, no. Sometimes when we were going out to eat, we would go to the restaurant, something like that.
But now it’s so comfortable, going to any Asian shop you see ladies there and you feel comfortable and you know what you want and they know what to give you as well.

Q: Would you say there were many Asian shops selling Salwar Kameez at that time?

A: No there are more now, a lot more.

Q: Because I heard there were a lot of grocery shops.

A: Loads, loads, yeah, there weren’t that many Asian shops, maybe one or two and now there are loads of them, all over the place.

Q: We were talking about the support that you were feeling from your husband, but you were also talking to me once about your daughters…

A: About my daughters yes, they helped me a lot, they helped me a lot honestly, and they gave me so much courage. I mean all these things are in place now because of my daughters. They bought me these books to show me “Mum, look at that, you know you wanted to do that” so I started studying them and thought “yes I can do it ”, then I started making something at home.
I mean I don’t cut them; I just put my mind and my colors and my thinking in there, like beads, which beads we need to use, which color we need to use, obviously I’m doing this combined with a designer, but because I put my input there, because I’ve been brought up in this country, so I have different thinking, different colors, different beads, what to do, because people over here are different, a little bit different than there, so I put my input into colors, what color we need, what beads we’re going to put in there, what buttons we’re going to use, so I’m doing all this combined with my tailor and my designer back home.

Q: So you think that you’re more fashionable than the other shops?

A: I think so! Because of my daughters, because I have got East and West mix, so I think I am different, obviously, I’m not copying anybody, I don’t want to copy. I like to design from my own mind. Whatever I think of, I just put it on a piece of paper and 99% of the time it does come out nice. It is modern touch there.

Q: So, it’s the new generation clothing! Great!

A: Yes! And I’m so glad, on Ladypool Road; I’ve seen other people apart from being Asian, so many other people were interested in my shop from the front when I would put the manneQuin out there, they come inside and they go “Where are they from?” and I say “They are from Pakistan and India you know!” and they say: “that’s different!” and I say “yes!” and I have got, not just Asian customers, I have got English and West Indian customers! I’m so happy that’s what I wanted to do! For all the cultures!

Q: So you weren’t kind of set out like “Ok, this is only for a certain group of women”?

A: No, no

Q: [Do you think that the role of women are changing a little bit more now, because we’ve heard some stories about, you know how people say to us “It’s a man’s world”] When we enter in their shops and we ask them if the women are dealing with their own shops and they say “no, no, no, it’s the man’s world here”, do you think it’s changing a little bit?

A: It is, I think it is changing now.

Q: What about the men that are running the businesses and they see more shops like yourself here, do they think, “Oh here we go again, another lady has opened a store or shop”?

A: I had an experience, this customer came along and he was just checking and checking clothes and I said, “Do you want to buy anything or do you like anything?” and he said “To be honest, I came from Stratford Road” and he did give me the name of the shop as well, and he said “I heard about this shop, you are selling really nice stuff, and honestly baji I do like your stuff” and other guys came down from Ladypool Road, came down here and said “I’ve seen you in magazines”, because I did advertising in magazines “and I wanted to see your clothes” and they were really nice, nice to me as well. So I think it is changing.

Q: Lovely, ok, so it is changing even from the men’s side!

A: Yes, even from the men’s side!

Q: So they’re not checking out “Ok that design’s good, let’s copy it”

A: No, at first I thought it was something like that, they said ”No I do completely different stuff, but I like your stuff” and the Stratford Road man did buy something for his wife, and she was Italian.

Q: It’s very rewarding in fact, isn’t it?

A: That made me feel really good, yes,
Q: Well I like them here (the dresses), I like being here, and I mean it’s really cozy, it’s also very welcoming, and you’re a very welcoming person.

A: Oh thank you, well I need to do a lot more in this shop, like you know it’s only been open for seven or eight months and I’m trying to do more and more, but obviously I need the finance.

Q: But even the layout of the shop, it’s very different to all the other shops I’ve been to on Ladypool Road. And I wonder is that, I suppose the inspiration that you’ve had from the East and the Western culture and mainly that’s why the customers, you mentioned yourself, there are different customers.

A: There are different customers, and honestly they do say they like that, the atmosphere. I need to put more effort in this shop. I haven’t got associates at the moment, but I will. And Insha Allah I see myself long way, I want my granddaughters to run this shop Kurta Kahani. I don’t want to stop here, when I start something, I like to finish it. That’s what my aim is; my hope is that my granddaughter will run after me this shop.

Q: And so, do you have any help here apart from yourself running the shop?

A: I do, sometimes my daughters do come round and help me, yes I do get help from them and my friends help me so much as well, they’re always round here, if I’m busy they’re helping me, well obviously at the moment I can’t afford to keep any staff, but my friends are really good, they do help me with anything, packing, ironing, food… so yeah, it’s a really nice feeling.

Q: And then how do you manage the business and the house, and you mentioned now your husband needs more attention, so how do you make that work?

A: I prepare myself, I mean I think I work, to be honest, I work more than twelve hours, I do. And I’m only doing that with high hope that in the long run my shop will be, I will be able to have some assistant, two or three, but at the moment, I know I’m working really, really hard and I will achieve something at the end of the day. I am working twelve hours because I am looking after my husband, my family, and then I’m doing account work and I’m talking back home (Pakistan) all the time I’m talking to my tailors and my …

Q: You’re a multi-task woman!

A: I’m trying; I’m trying, honestly! And customers are always ordering something and I’m always taking orders as well made to measure and all this so I’m giving my Quality time and I’m trying to give them my “customer best time” and the customer is everything to me to be honest, I want to see them happy. I like them come back again and again. If there are any mistakes, I don’t mind correcting myself.

Q: I think, on a personal view, I was going on Internet and I could see these forums and people talking about the customer service on Ladypool Road and some were lacking on it Quite a lot and I think that that is a real skill that you have.

A: That is my first aim; I want my customer to be happy first. Honestly, sometimes I loose and the customer goes “This is not the right color” and I get feedback from my husband “See? I told you!” I say, “No I don’t mind, I want the customer to be happy”, because I’ve learnt that from my dad and from this country, “the customer is always right”.

Q: When I suppose you take customer feedback, do you think it’s helped the way you’ve designed your work?

A: Oh it does! The only reason I’m here, honestly because customers can be really hectic, I heard that from other people on Ladypool Road especially, you know “they give you hard times”, this and that, I said “I give them Quality”, I will give them Quality but you know if any mistake by colors or beads or anything, if they want that I try to put to on a piece of paper, from their own writing, so they know, and I know what’s happened on that day, date, time, everything on a piece of paper when I take orders.
Because honestly my priority is customers and I feel really good is somebody is really happy in my dress. I feel really… I, I don’t know how to tell you, I DO feel good if my customers are happy and they look good.

Q: It’s an achievement for you.

A: Believe me, yes, believe me if customers are not happy, I’m not happy. And if something is not right on customers, I will tell them “This is not right for you”.

Q: I would like to know what you’re proud of, and I know that you’ve got your shop but you’ve also got your family and I would like to know how your family has helped you up to here, and… I know a lot about your daughters on a personal view, but I would like to hear a little bit more about it, you’ve talked to me about what they have achieved also, has that helped you to become who you are today?

A: It has yes, because, like I said, deep inside I always wanted to have education and diplomas or something.
Really, really, I still remember I never used to hold dolls and clothes and all this, I used to hold books in my hand just pretending that I am something. So, because I didn’t achieve that, I was really sad, but then I realized, I can make this for my daughters, and two of my daughters are lawyers, the third one is a pharmacist, so I thought, “That’s my achievement!” then I think that’s how I started, I can do something.

Q: “If they can do something, can I?”

A: Yes! And people used to tell me “Because of you, your daughters are like that”, because the way I’ve been brought up, my dad used to say, “Girls are not supposed to go to school and colleges, only boys can” and I thought, that’s not right but obviously I wasn’t aloud to say that to my dad, and then because God gave me four kids, I’m so proud of my children and especially my daughters…

Q: I think it’s such a fantastic achievement with so many obstacles in life from the time you realize you’re a girl and you don’t have a mother and despite all of that you’re on this road, which again, is a challenging road or has been and you still shine like a diamond! So I think that’s incredible.

A: Yes, especially my daughters, the three of them of them are brilliant but the older one is just like a friend to me and she always said, honestly my daughters always told me “Mum you’re brilliant, you can do it, you can do it” and now, here I am, because of them.

Q: That’s what daughters are for!

A: They’re lovely, they are, honestly.

Q: Is there like a final message you would give to our younger generations, our future generations, of girls who want to achieve something or women who are thinking about trying to fulfill a dream, what message would you give them?

A: I would tell them you know, “where there’s a will, there’s a way”, anybody can do anything they want, yes, everybody’s got ability, there’s some strength in every woman, they can do it, yes no doubt.

Q: thank you very much for this interview and we are very touched by your story and we look forward to presenting this at Birmingham library and it will be forever in that archive, so, for centuries and centuries, Insha Allah this story will be heard by many.

A: Thank you very much, I’m really grateful, thank you to you two and yes, like I said I want my granddaughters and my grandchildren to run this and hopefully Kurta Kahani will stay here for a long time.