Family say final farewell to Grangemouth newsagents after 20 great years

The Farid family will shut the doors of their Bowhouse Newsagents, in Bowhouse Square, Grangemouth at the end of the day on Saturday and officially hand over the business to new owner Barry Mitchell, who comes from Banknock and also owns a jet washing business.

In the last year the popular shop gained praise and new customers aplenty for pulling out all the stops to help people during the COVID-19 crisis.

Husband and wife team Ghulam and Shagufta Farid, and their son Zain, have become familiar faces over the years.

Sadly Ghulam is currently having health issues which led to the decision to give up the business and leave customers he has come to regard as part of their family.

He said: “Twenty years is a long time and we will definitely miss our customers. They help us and we help them – they have really become like a family to us. We will be here on Saturday if people want to come along and see us to say goodbye.”

Zain added: “It’s been an absolute pleasure serving this community and we are so grateful for some of the most wonderful people we’ve met along the way. So thank you for allowing us to be of service come rain or snow, but please also accept our apologies if we may ever have fell short of the great service we always strived to achieve.

“I am also sure the new face behind the till, Barry, will continue to be of great service to you all. We’ll be around until close of play on Saturday – and as a thank you for all the support over the years please help yourself to a sweet or two.”

Zain said the family was leaving the shop in good hands with Barry, and the Farids would be on hand if he needed any advice or assistance.

Barry, who takes over the shop on Sunday, has already got his new signage organised and said it would be going up soon.