It wasn’t many years ago that the only shops in Al Ain were the small ‘corner shops’, or so I’ve been told.
You’ll find hundreds of shops like the one in the photo, which we use for the odd bottle of milk etc, around the town.
This shop recently closed down as the building was being renovated, and reopened 100 yards away in a new building. The owner told me the rent had gone up as a result from 24,000 Dirhams (£4,500) a year to 70,000 Dirhams (£13,000) a year. Ouch!
Chris,
Nostalgia..nostalgia..nostalgia. When I was 2 yrs old..these types of stores were the only ones close to the flyover near Al Ain Mall. That is where my parents used to live since my dad got a job back then in the Abu Dhabi Govt as a Civil Engineer for all their developing water projects. That was back in 1975.
I remember the sweet smell of spices and perfumed oil (Attar)and only a handful of Arabic restaurants specializing in the traditional hummos, pita and grilled Arabic “Dajaj” (chicken). The taste has changed though over the years or maybe it was my then tastebuds that percieved it in a different way. The Egyptian and Palestinian customers smoking Sheesha and the beautiful music of “Umm Koulthoum” on their black and white TV sets.
I stayed there until the age of 4 and then moved to a different area in Al Ain as the city was developing dramatically.
My dad spoilt me by buying me candy and a new toy..believe it or not…EVERYDAY!
I would sell my soul to have those days back.