By Umer Nangiana
Name: Abdur Rehman Muhammad Ibrahim
Nationality: Pakistan
Shop location: Gift Items shop No. 167/2, main street, Souq Waqif
What do you sell?
I have gift items and antiques’ collections like brass products that are made in India and gift items from China and souvenirs from Qatar. It is all handicrafts. They come from Dubai, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and some are made locally in Qatar. We have Dallah, the Arabic tea pots, which people in Arabia use for coffee and qahwa (tea).
Then we have Marsh Arabic perfume bottles. These come from India. Dallah and other brass items also come from India. From Pakistan, we get wooden jewellery boxes and from Turkey we get bowls made of ceramics. Iran supplies camel jewellery boxes with hand-made paintings on them.
Who are your customers?
It depends. On weekends, it is mostly Arabs or local people who visit us. On the week days, it is mostly tourists and other foreigners residing in Qatar who come to visit my shop.
How is business?
It is really good. Now the peak season is going to begin shortly so it would be a boom in sales. And this peak season lasts from end of October to first 10 days of April. And then, in the summers, it just lags on. The smaller items sell more. These are China-made such as key rings, magnets. Hukahs also sell a lot. We get these from Syria, Egypt and some are Chinese-made.
What is your shop’s speciality?
In every shop you would find different things, it would not be similar. I have a lot of different and unique items especially in women’s collection like jewellery and jewellery boxes and other than that flower vases and antiques’ collection.
What problems do you face running this shop?
No, I have no problems. Specially, it is very safe here. Even if you leave your shop open, you do not need to worry about the safety of your valuables.
What kind of customers do you find irritating?
No customer is irritating. For a shopkeeper, every customer is good. We are here to do business. A shopkeeper cannot afford to make a customer unhappy. Alhamdolilah (Thank God) I get one after another good customers here. It all depends on the shopkeeper. I always handle my customers with love and care.
Tell us your favourite anecdote related to a customer.
I have been here for 4 years and since then I am running this shop. I have been visited my many famous people and celebrities. Film actor from India, Aftab Shivdasani visited my shop. He bought a flower vase. Croatia’s president and many other delegations have been to my shop. They did a lot of shopping. Alka Yagnik, the famous Indian playback singer, also purchased things from my shop.
What is the best thing about Souq Waqif?
Souq Waqif is very busy place all the time. There are always people coming and going. But the best thing about it is that it is a very calm and peaceful place. I have no worries here. Nobody interferes in others’ business. Everyone minds his own business.
How do you spend your leisure?
My day-off is not fixed. Sometimes it is Monday and sometimes Thursday. I go to malls on the days-off. On Eid days, we keep our shop closed in the day time and open it only in the evenings because in those days this place becomes very crowded.
Once in a while for a week or two, I go back to Pakistan to visit my family. I was born and brought up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. My father was there and now he has moved back to Pakistan.
If it wasn’t for this job, what would you have been doing?
I would have been in military or police. I applied a few times but I did not get called in. I am still eligible and still have passion for it though.
