IN April, 1988, Bimla Prasad and her late husband, Suruj Prasad, started a small business at Butt St, Suva.
She said they opened Kaur’s Canteen located near The Fiji Times car park just one month after getting married. Back then, she said, the car park behind her canteen was managed by a car dealer.
“We started our business a year after the first coup in Fiji,” she said.
“It was a challenge for us because we were a young couple back then and just starting our family.
“When we started 33 years ago, there were not a lot of shops, restaurants and malls in the city and it was good for our business.
“We started our business from that small canteen selling cigarettes and soft drinks.”
Then as the business progressed, she said, her husband started adding more goods on the canteen shelves. She said at one point, the canteen sold bread.
“Every morning there used to be a queue in front of our shop of people who wanted to buy bread.”
She said they would bring their two daughters to the canteen because there was no one to babysit them at home.
“Our daughters were little back then and they used to sleep on top of the deep fridge while we ran the business.
“The money earned from this business, we were able to send our children to school, pay for our house expenses and put food on the table for our family.”
She said operating the canteen in the heart of Suva City had been a great experience.
“I remember during the coup in 2000, businesses were told to close their shops but I was not scared and continued operating the canteen.
“I have built relationships with my customers that last a lifetime, you name it, my customers are mostly civil servants, lawyers, journalists and even people working in the nightclubs, you ask them about my canteen, they all know it.
“A few years ago, the Ministry of Health was located right across my canteen, the staff were my customers, mothers used to bring their babies there for clinics.”
In 2001, she said, her husband passed away and since then she has been running the business with her two daughters.
“I am so blessed that when my husband passed on, he left something for me and my two girls.”
She said she had established good relationships with some of her customers that she ended up knowing their families.
“Some of my customers, I have come to know their children, spouses and even relatives, that is how close we are, we are like family.”
Her elder daughter is now married with two children while the younger is pursuing a veterinary degree at the Fiji National University.
