Kevin Smith paid tribute to Tarlochen Thapar, his former boss at the Quick Stop grocery store where he filmed Clerks.The filmmaker wrote, “Because this sweet soul from a world away came to America, *my* American Dream came true.”Clerks actors Brian O’Halloran and Jason Mewes expressed their condolences in the comment section.<\/p>\n
Kevin Smith<\/a> is remembering a shop owner who helped launch his filmmaking career.\n<\/p>\n The Mallrats director shared a tribute to Tarlochen Thapar, a small business owner in Leonardo, N.J., who died on Friday at 90. Thapar owned the Quick Stop grocery store and video rental shop where Smith worked and eventually shot his microbudget debut film Clerks<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n “Mister Thapar hired me in 1989, both of us sitting on tiny step stools behind the counter of RST Video,” Smith wrote on Instagram on Monday. “Working at a video store was my dream job, but it came with a cost: I had to also work at the convenience store next door, which also belonged to the Thapars. Thank God for that caveat, because it changed my life.”\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Smith explained, “In 1993, Thapar let me shoot my first film in #QuickStop at night when it was closed. So without Mister Thapar, there\u2019d be no Clerks.”\n<\/p>\n The filmmaker said that Thapar immigrated to the United States in the 1960s or ’70s, and that “because this sweet soul from a world away came to America, *my* American Dream came true.”\n<\/p>\n Smith went on to compare his relationship with the late shop owner to Schoolhouse Rock’s 1976 song “The Great American Melting Pot.” “America brought us together, and what a tasty meal we made!” he wrote. “I\u2019ll miss you, Mister Thapar. Thank you for making your lifelong journey to Jersey \u2014 because this Jersey Boy (and anybody who ever enjoyed his black & white convenience store comedy) benefitted big time from your bravery.”\n<\/p>\n The Dogma director closed his remarks with a sweet memory of Thapar. “I still remember our 1991 conversation about reincarnation and I hope you were right, Boss,” he wrote. “Because that means I might see you again one day. And when we do, we\u2019ll sit on tiny stools and talk movies.”\n<\/p>\n Brian O’Halloran, who starred as protagonist Dante Hicks in Clerks, reacted to the news in a comment on Smith’s post. “Oh no! My deepest condolences to you and the Thapar family,” he wrote.\n<\/p>\n