The Dawahare family would like to thank you, our customers, friends and employees, for your loyal support throughout the years, and especially now in this time of our distress. Your love and encouragement since our company’s troubles were announced is as inspiring as it is heartwarming, helping us through an otherwise unbearable time.
We also thank the many, many Kentuckians over the century who made Dawahare’s possible. To think that a young immigrant from halfway around the world could settle in the rugged hollows of eastern Kentucky and not only survive, but flourish, is a testament to the true Kentucky character and a triumph of the human spirit. From day one there was a trust and bond between our founder, father and grandfather, Serur Dawahare, and the customers he served. They accepted him as one of their own and cared for him as much as he did for them. Long before it was politically correct, he treated everybody, regardless of background, with the same high level of care and respect.
Grandfather instilled this ethic, as well as the importance of unity, to his 11 children. They, in turn, carried forth the tradition brilliantly, teaching it to the third- and fourth-generations while sharing it across the state in the many Kentucky communities we were honored to serve. Every store, every employee gave their all for you and you responded in kind. It was beautiful!
And now, as the sun sets on our stores, your outpouring of love for our employees and family has been overwhelming and confirms for us all that is good about the Dawahare legacy. A most touching letter from a former employee says it best: “Everything good I learned about business, I learned from you. I learned about integrity, honesty and hard work. I started my own business built on the foundation of all the things I was taught by the Dawahare family. In a sense, the Dawahare tradition will never end as long as there are people like me willing to give credit where credit is due. I am eternally grateful.”
So while, in this ever-changing world, the business started so long ago may end, something much more important, and timeless, will endure. And for that, and you, and all employees past and present, we are eternally grateful. We invite you to share a favorite story or anecdote you may have about the stores or the family at www.dawahares.com.
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