Sonia's Runway

It’s all about relationships at Sonia’s Runway, and that starts with the strong bond between the mother and daughter ownership team of Sonia and Shaan Chahal. The two women wanted to start their own business in 2007, but they weren’t sure what it should be. “I wanted to go into home décor. My daughter wanted to do women’s fashion, which surprised me because she wasn’t into fashion before,” says Sonia. “When we used to go shopping, she was the one who wanted to go home first and I wanted to be in the mall and shop. I was pleasantly surprised after we started, because she was on all the trends and she knew about clothing.”

Starting a business can be daunting but the solid relationship between Sonia and her daughter helped overcome those early obstacles. “Mom and I have a very good relationship outside the store,” says Shaan. “Because our relationship was a friendship, it was easier to work with her. Our knowledge of different things brings out a different vision in our store and that shows in our clothing.”