Brit shop owner in Canada discovers locals 'love' sausage rolls and traditional Scottish dish
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A woman from Scotland has been celebrating her roots in Canada by serving traditional British treats in her shop. Since moving to Bowmanville, Ontario with her family in 1976 due to her father's job, Tracey Pettigrew opened up 'Paisley's - The Wee British Shoppe' — British-themed shop — 15 years ago, delighting both locals and tourists with everything from Scotch Pies to Bakewell Tarts.
The 55-year-old entrepreneur said: "The reason I have my shop is that I love my Scottish background, I live in a town called Bowmanville, Ontario, with lots of Brits from back home. I already had a gift shop in town and was looking for another adventure, so I thought how great it would be to have a British shop that sold all our favourite treats from back home that we all love.
"I had the market for it and it has been great, and I have a lovely customer base, many that are also from different regions of Scotland, Ireland and England.". The Scots' efforts keep her connected not only to her past but also to the community saying: "The shop certainly keeps my memories of Paisley and my Scottish heritage alive, not only for myself but for my customers.".
Recalling cherished times, Tracey has fond memories of spending time with her grandparents in Gallowhill and acknowledges that many products in her shop were favourites of theirs. Tracey gushed: "There is nothing better than someone walking into my shop and you can see the excitement of grabbing a Walnut Whip and saying 'my god, it's years since I have had one of those' or 'that candy reminds me of my mum or my gran'. I have some customers that end up in tears as the shop just brings them back in time, you cannot buy that sort of response.
