For the last forty years Dean’s Foods has been tucked in along Lamey’s Mill Road. Dean isn’t there anymore, but for the last twelve years and counting you can find Ali. Ali Dughestani runs the little convenience store that for the most part serves the residents of nearby enclaves. They drop in to pick up milk, chips, pop, maybe cigarettes or a lottery ticket. Also treats for kids, kitchen staples, some produce and foods for a quick meal. Unusually for such a store there’s a selection of organic items and a collection of unusual and delicious teas. Customers can also drop off dry cleaning, or stay for a coffee and a chat, in the summer at little tables outside.
Dean’s Foods is a useful little neighbourhood feature with a loyal following, but what really makes it special is Ali. He will tell you about the competition from bigger stores and how little walk-by traffic he sees these days, but he really enjoys being a friendly neighbour. He knows he helps hold the local community together, and is pleased that his landlord understands that too and agreed to renew his lease.
Ali remembers with gratitude the kindness of a Canadian diplomat who helped him send his wife and son from Iran to Canada before he could follow them, and like most immigrants to Canada he brings kindness of his own. He often locks up his little store to make deliveries to neighbours who for some reason can’t get there, including residents of the Broadway Lodge care home up the street. Sometimes he even buys items the store doesn’t carry to take them to a regular customer. He has been known to let a regular run a tab, even though that doesn’t always work out for him. He can show you lists and tell you stories of debts he’ll likely never collect, but he can also shrug it off: “I see that guy pass by sometimes, but he doesn’t come in here anymore. He owes a lot, but we both know that I’m never going to be poor and he’s never going to be rich, so. . . .” So – a kind neighbour and a local business worthy of your custom.