A APRICELESS@ TREASURE
 Royal Shariyf

Zawadi=s … uniqueness cannot be replaced. Then, why oh why, on September 30th, will Zawadi Gifts be closing its doors
for the last time?
The half-price sale accompanying the notice of impending closure drew a slew of halfhearted regulars who rushed to the store in disbelief. Some simply needed to find out for themselves the truth of it (both about the sale and the closing), so they came. Many openly reminisced as they scoured the shelves for last-won items. They bid heartfelt good-byes and good-luck wishes to its delightful owners. All knew the closing of Zawadi Gifts represented the end of an era.

Deborah Gadston, a Bronx resident who scanned for classy holiday bargains — months early — was also noticeably sad. For the past ten years, over the Christmas/Kwanzaa season, Zawadi Gifts has held particular prominence, leading Afrocentric holiday shoppers like Gadston to the nearby YMCA for their annual bazaar that included good food, great entertainment and, naturally, great gift-buying. Where was she to gather now and shop during the holidays, Gadston wondered aloud?