By Mario Toneguzzi

It was the summer of 2017 when Taza Collections was created with a mission and goal to create a better world for those in need.

Through the art of jewelry, two young entrepreneurs Tahir and Zakiya Natha started in Calgary what would today be known as Taza Collections. Siblings Tahir was 12 and Zakiya was 10 when their online business began.

“I personally have always had an entrepreneurial mindset,” said Tahir. “My parents from a young age decided you know what why don’t you guys try starting something and they kind of knew someone in the wholesale bead industry. It was an easy way to start something, gain some experience, gain some knowledge around it.

“So we started this bracelet business. It was surrounded by the fact that maybe this was something we can create for ourselves. So we’ve been selling bracelets and recently we started selling clothes on there to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

“A lot of our focus is charitable based. We’ve partnered with the Aga Khan Foundation at one point. We’ve partnered with the Ronald McDonald House. We’ve partnered with the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter. And all in an effort to just give back to the community. That was one of the main points as to why we started this.”

ALL TAZA COLLECTIONS PRODUCTS ARE SOURCED IN CANADA

Tahir said all the products sold on the ecommerce site are sourced in Canada.

“It takes time to grow and I think slowly we’re seeing that growth pattern upwards a little bit. It was definitely a slow start but now I think we’ve built a little bit of a brand reputation within our own customer base and that’s where predominantly we see people coming from,” he said.

“But we’ve done a lot of efforts in terms of marketing and trying to get a large social media presence. So we’re seeing a slight upwards trend for sure. Just like anything it takes time.”

The retailer’s target audience is shoppers who focus on spending local. The company therefore has a big push for local and made in Canada products.

“We try to provide something that feels like it could be in the luxury market but we try to bring it at an affordable price. So it’s kind of more available to all. That’s the model. Luxury made affordable,” said Tahir.

“We have two large demographics which is the millennial age group and then you have the 65 plus age group.”

Going forward, the siblings would like to continue to expand the venture into different areas. Right now they are looking at ways to expand the concept and build its focus and perhaps look at a larger charitable component to it.

Would they consider a physical store location?

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Local Businesses have all been suffering due to the impact of the global pandemic currently underway. We here at Taza Collections want to help those small businesses in any way we can, so we would like to introduce weekly spotlights of local businesses who are bringing positivity to their communities. This week’s spotlight is Burwood Distillery who have shifted focus and started to produce hand sanitizer due to shortages. They are supporting the frontline and giving back to those who are essential.

A post shared by Taza Collections (@tazacollections) on Jun 19, 2020 at 4:59pm PDT

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Do you want to know how to take care of your Taza Bracelets? Well then here is our new bracelet care series! Every week we will post a tip of advice you can use to make sure you are taking care of your bracelets to the best of your ability. This week's tip is keeping it simple, bracelets can often attract dirt and metals can often begin to oxidize. Sometimes the best solution is to take soapy water and a bristled toothbrush and gently scrub away. This can help make beads and spacers look good as new. With lava beads you can put oils such as tea tree oil all over them to keep them clean but as well nourish your skin.

A post shared by Taza Collections (@tazacollections) on Jun 20, 2020 at 1:59pm PDT

“Definitely a thought we’ve had and potentially in the future. I think right now the largest focus is growing the ecommerce side of things and seeing how far we can push that,” said Tahir. “And then maybe down the line in a couple of years, considering maybe not a permanent but even a pop-up shop in different places contributing to that.”

Tahir and his sister run the business but their parents are there to support them when needed.

They don’t have official titles but Tahir is like the CEO of the business while Zakiya supports on the design side of things.

Tahir is currently in Grade 11 and Zakiya is in Grade 9. They are doing online school this year through the Vista Virtual School. Tahir also works at a software development firm part-time.

Mario Toneguzzi, based in Calgary, has more than 40 years experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald covering sports, crime, politics, health, faith, city and breaking news, and business. He now works on his own as a freelance writer and consultant in communications and media relations/training.

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