A family upholstery business that operated for 40 years has closed after its owner’s death.

Najiyyah Shamsid-Deen ran Creative Upholstery on Middle Road in Warwick after she started the business in her home.

Shahidah Shamsid-Deen, her daughter, said Ms Shamsid-Deen’s clientele had been “at a loss” without her.

She added: “Her turnover was quick and her work was really spot on. One of the reasons people went there was because she worked so fast.

“She was extremely hard working and her attention to detail was out of this world.

“She had people working for her, but she very much was the business.”

Shahidah said the family wanted to let the public know about the closure of the business in the wake of Ms Shamsid-Deen’s death, aged 70, last November.

She added the family was selling off goods from the store – and hoped to later find someone interested in renting the building.

Sonia Bremar, a close friend of Ms Shamsid-Deen, said her customer base spanned the island, from hotels to boat owners.

Her work ranged from reupholstering bike seats to major commercial projects.

Ms Bremar said there were few businesses like Creative Upholstery still in business.

She added: “Her old customers have been saying she was a gem. Some didn’t know she had passed.

“Some of her customers don’t know where to go now – she always made sure that everybody got personal attention.

“She was very regimented, dedicated and meticulous, as well as loving and caring.”

Ms Shamsid-Deen’s family said in an online tribute: “Over the years, she has had many fantastic upholsterers, seamstresses and administrative staff working for her and she took pride in building relationships with her team who affectionately called her `Ms. Deen’.

Ms Shamsid-Deen, a skilled seamstress, started out in the drapery business in the early 1980s while working for her brother Glenn, a subcontractor for an interior design company.

She started out in business as a single mother raising a daughter.

Creative Upholstery moved to its premises near Christ Church in Warwick in 1981.

Ms Shamsid-Deen started with a business partner but ran the business herself for 36 years and only eased up on work in the final months of her life.

She told the Gazette in a 2009 interview that her love of sewing dated back to her childhood.

Ms Shamsid-Deen said "I have always sewn. I was always at a sewing machine.

“I used to make all of my own clothes and I came to be known for sewing. I have been known for sewing since I was very young."

· To enquire about renting the building, e-mail nsdeenestate@gmail.com