A morning at Al-Karrada
Coffee, the first clients through the door, and the piece everyone asks to try.
The shutters at Al-Karrada go up at ten, but the boutique starts earlier. By nine the cases are being dressed, the cloths folded and the first coffee poured.
The first clients are usually not buying. They have come to collect a repair, or to show a ring to someone, or simply to sit for a while out of the heat.
The piece everyone asks for
Every boutique has one piece that everyone wants to try. At Al-Karrada this summer it was a slim diamond line bracelet — light enough for every day, bright enough for a wedding.
“Half the people who try it don’t buy it. They just want to see it on.”
Sales consultant, Al-Karrada
By noon
By midday the boutique is full: a family choosing a shabka, a young man looking at rings and pretending not to, a grandmother waiting for her bangles to be polished.
Come by any morning. The coffee is always on.