We were so happy to host Global News London at our store grand opening in May of 2020. They interviewed our founder Lana Khadra about the challenges of opening a business during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can revisit the article in full below:
At only 19 years old, Khadra is the owner of Diet & Wellness Health Food Store, which opened May 11 on London’s Oxford Street East.
The store sells health food products that people can use to help follow a variety of different diets to help them lose weight.
She had initially planned to launch the store in March but decided to push back her launch due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Still, at a time when many businesses are struggling because of COVID-19 restrictions, Khadra moved forward with her plans.
Khadra said she was inspired to open the business after her own weight loss journey.
“I want to help people find the products they were looking for.”
After coming up with the idea, Khadra went to her parents for advice, who helped her get everything set up and gave her a loan.
Still a student studying finance at Western University, Khadra does not think her age should really be a factor.
“Honestly, if you just focus, it’s not as hard as it seems,” she said.
“I just worked and worked, and it eventually came together. It was stressful and a lot of pressure, but if you keep pushing for it, anyone can do it.”
She also hopes her new business venture can help others by carrying Canadian and regional health food startups that aren’t widely distributed.
“We love to source locally because we like to support the Canadian market.”