Daughter’s TikTok Video Brings New Life to Her Father’s Vintage Shoe Shop
After more than 30 years in business, an East London shoe shop has found a joyful new following—all thanks to a daughter, a pair of Y2K kitten heels, and one hugely popular TikTok video.
Rachid Lazraq has operated Rich Collection Italia on Hackney Road for decades. In recent years, however, online shopping and a dwindling number of longtime customers had left the vintage Italian shoe store facing an uncertain future.
“My dad has been running this shop since before I was born, so we were all sad to see it suffering,” said his 25-year-old daughter, Zineb Lazraq, a London journalist.
“He usually had older, regular clients, but they’d been petering out over the years.”
The family’s fortunes began to change when Rachid mentioned in a group chat that several “young French girls” had unexpectedly visited the store. Zineb soon discovered that a French influencer had featured the shop as a hidden gem, drawing attention to its Y2K-style kitten heels.
“That’s when we realized a French influencer had posted a video showcasing the Y2K kitten heels—which I didn’t even know he sold!”
“It was amazing to see.”
Inspired by the enthusiastic response, Zineb created her own TikTok video highlighting shoes likely to appeal to shoppers her age. She posted it on July 7, and it attracted 300,000 views overnight.
“By highlighting the shoes that would appeal to people my age, we had lines out of the shop in no time.”
Within days, customers were waiting as long as two hours to enter the small store. The sudden wave of support introduced Rich Collection Italia to a fresh generation of shoppers and transformed the atmosphere around the family business.
“Now he has a whole new set of clientele, with streams of young people coming to the shop every day.”
Because the store has limited space, only a certain number of shoppers can browse at once. Yet the crowds have remained patient and eager.
“It’s so small inside, we have to limit the amount of customers in the shop at any given time, but that doesn’t seem to deter people!”
One of the happiest moments came when Rachid removed the shop’s “Closing Sale” sign as customers gathered around and applauded. The celebration marked a remarkable turnaround for a business that had been preparing to close.
Although Rachid is approaching retirement and hopes eventually to return to his hometown, he is enjoying the shop’s renewed success. Rich Collection Italia may also begin selling online, allowing its growing community of younger customers to continue supporting the business from farther afield.
For now, the lines outside 7 Hackney Road stand as an uplifting reminder of how a thoughtful social-media post—and a daughter’s love for her father—can give a cherished small business a bright new chapter.
