Inside her small kiosk called Wayednice, located inside the Al Raha Gardens Plaza shopping centre, Reem Mahmoud, a Lebanese mother of two, showcases a curated range of Middle Eastern tableware, home accessories and other colourful, artistic items.
Surrounded by a red ceramic figure resembling the traditional Ottoman dress kaftan, fancy appetiser trays and Arabian tea cups with inscriptions engraved on them, Mahmoud – one of Wayednice’s co-founders – says she wishes to represent the UAE with her products.
“I was born in Senegal where multiculturalism is common,” she says. “Since moving to the UAE, I have been fascinated by this country’s people, culture and traditions.”
Mahmoud, 33, came up with the name Wayednice (very nice) because she noticed how Emiratis constantly use the word “wayed”.
When she launched the Wayednice concept in May at the Ataya charity exhibition, held under the patronage of Shaikha Shamsa Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, she was delighted by the warm response from customers.
“The Ataya exhibition, which features the artwork of some of the region’s most talented designers, was the starting point of my new journey,” says Mahmoud.
Wayednice also sells personalised, creative souvenirs as well as clothing. Mahmoud herself handpicks the products from across the region – mostly from Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Morocco.
The kiosk also features the creations of Emirati designers and entrepreneurs. “Emiratis are more than welcome to showcase their products in my shops,” Mahmoud says. “Already I have a few Emirati designers working with me.”
A frequent traveller, she says she often tries to find captivating items on her trips to surprise her potential customers with new fashions and designs.
“At times, I have a great demand for certain products such as the kaftan metal tray along with colourful glasses,” says Mahmoud, who’s been living in Al Raha Gardens for eight years with her husband and sons.
She says she makes the effort to redecorate the kiosk every morning.
“I decided to have a kiosk rather than a shop because it would allow me to see if the business concept is successful or not,” Mahmoud said. “So far, I am pleased with the result and soon, further expansion will be scheduled.”
• For details, visit www.wayednice.com or follow Wayednice on Instagram (@wayednice)
aalhameli@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
