Café Arabia is a celebration of Arabian art and culture, in a contemporary and urban café setting. The décor captures the imagination of patrons who appreciate the menu and the skillful blend of modern and classical Arabian art. Tempo caught up with Aida Mansour, the owner of Café Arabia, to talk about her journey.
Aida was born and raised in Lebanon, and ever since she was young she was always good at the arts and English. But that wasn’t something her dad wanted her to focus on; she explains, “My teachers used to tell my dad that I used to get the highest grade in English literature in the school but dad told them not to tell me! He thought I would end up being an English teacher and he really didn’t want that.” But, as fate had it, she did teach for some time: “In 1990, I moved to Abu Dhabi and taught at the International School of Choueifat. Then in 1991, dad started a private school and made me the director…and it was there that I got my first lesson at starting a business. I had to get uniforms designed and manufactured, deal with parents, design a logo and so much more! We were starting from scratch and it was a great experience. I worked there until 1993.”
Soon afterward Aida moved to the United States where she took a break to raise a family and look after her children. Then 2001 the family moved back to the UAE. “In Abu Dhabi I began my next venture which was called ‘Gymboree Play and Music’. The concept was an interactive parent-child class in an open play area. This experience boosted my confidence because I was doing it by myself. I used all the training I put myself through when I was in the US to try to make this a successful venture.” But the business did not last because of differences with her partner; which left Aida with the firm belief that a business collaboration must be laid out ‘in black and white with clearly defined roles’.
What followed was what Aida terms ‘the golden years of Dubai’. With the stock market and the real estate market soaring, Aida began trading with frenzy. “Life became so blurred and all the values I cherished just disappeared. I lost all value for money and hard work. I would go shopping and buy things and get no pleasure out of it and it was because life had become such a gamble. I was so focused on the money that I lost myself. By 2010, I had spread my money so thin that when the market crashed, I crashed. I lost about 70% of my net worth and that was a hard blow. In some ways, I was glad that it happened because the euphoria and the thrill were getting to my head.”
It was then that Aida opened Café Arabia, and through it found her true calling. Running a café had always been her dream, and her vision was that it would be a haven for artists, writers, poets and anyone who was looking for a quiet place to work and find inspiration. “A place like the ones I used to sit in when I travelled; a place that wasn’t meant for profit but that could sustain itself.”
“I had even planned on donating all my profits to charities that promoted education among the less fortunate,” said Aida, who had to change that ideal after she realized that she needed the income for her living. So, she decided that the café was going to become her livelihood but also a haven for the community.
Aida remembers the financial difficulties she faced when she started her business, “I was tight on cash, my assets were frozen and I had no liquidity. But I knew what I wanted.” Being so strapped for cash was hard on her. Aida resorted to using art work, furniture, cutlery and crockery from her own house. She even remembers situations where five customers at a single table would get five different sets of plates to use. But in her eyes and in the eyes of her customers, it all built towards a beautiful atmosphere. “At that point of time I wasn’t thinking of profit. I just wanted the business to run.”
Aida had a clear idea of what she wanted Café Arabia to be. There needed to be harmony between cultures, it had to be a haven for artists, and it had to be like a second home. She wanted the décor to constantly change and she wanted to give budding artists and handcrafters a chance to showcase their work. “I realized that it was way too expensive for budding artists to exhibit their work at major galleries so I decided to allow artists to exhibit their work at the café at a nominal fee. This would also mean a change of décor every now and then. I also organized a bazaar that I wanted to become a monthly event at the café, an event that people could come to every month, without fail, and purchase handicrafts and art from within the community.”
“As an entrepreneur, I realized that you can’t shut down because you aren’t doing well. You just have to be adaptable, flexible and innovative”. Judging from the great vibe and energy at Café Arabia today, Aida has succeeded not only in realizing her vision, but also enriching the community.
By Sharon Carvalho
