Richmond Hill resident Aaisha Hijazi said her family has a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
When the family found fun in making freeze-dried candy during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, they soon turned it into a successful candy business. They use their home with a licensed kitchen to make and package the candy before getting it into multiple storefronts.
But the 18-year-old said she really wanted to build her own storefront business with that candy.
“I always wanted to be a business owner,” she said, adding that she has had a few businesses over the years. “I like to be an entrepreneur. I like to do my own thing, so having a retail store sounded really exciting to me and I thought this was a really great way to fulfill that dream.”
Hijazi and her family opened The Frozen Jazzi’s in Newmarket at 228 Main St. S., near Timothy Street, Oct. 17. The store offers an array of candy from around the world, including the family’s own brand of freeze-dried candy.
Hijazi said selling freeze-dried candy has been successful for the family.
“It went really well and we branched out into making our own candy,” Hijazi said. “It was just something we all enjoy doing.”
They began to get their products in several markets and stores throughout the GTA, including Barrie, Toronto and Cobourg over the past couple of years. But Hijazi wanted to find a place for their own storefront.
The young entrepreneur said the family has frequently visited Newmarket as she was growing up, so they are very familiar with the area.
“We were looking and just needed to find the perfect place. It all fell into place. It’s in a really great area we’ve all grown up in,” she said. “The community here is great.”
The candy making has remained a family business, Hijazi said, and has helped them stay connected even as she started studying politics at Toronto Metropolitan University this year.
“It’s really fun,” she said. “We work so well together because we are a family. It makes things work really nicely.”
The business doors are now open, but she will be holding a grand opening event Nov. 2 from noon to 7 p.m. with free samples and a toy drive, with those who donate getting a 20-per-cent discount.
Hisjazi said the community has been welcoming.
“Freeze-dried candy, people come in and get super excited about that … It’s something different, it’s something you don’t see super often. We have tons of really great stuff."
