Just a few days remain before Eid Al Fitr and Oman’s traditional souqs, especially Muttrah Souq, along with a multitude of signature stores and malls are abuzz with shoppers. Commercial houses and tailors selling traditional dresses in Muttrah reported brisk business over the past few days leading up to Eid Al Fitr.
While roads leading to the Muttrah souq are buzzing with Eid shoppers, vendors in other places like Salalah, Suhar, Barka, Nizwa and Sur, have seen flourishing business during this time.
“For us selling traditional Omani clothes, business in the past few days has been so good compared to last year,” Abdul Sathar, a tradesman in Muttrah, told the Observer.
Among the various goods in demand, men’s and women’s clothes topped the list, followed by children’s clothing, footwear, fragrances, oud, attar and frankincense, with food, fruits and vegetables close behind.
When asked about business, an expatriate specialising in making Omani dresses said he had been working day and night with only a few hours of rest in between.
“Well, Eid is a time when we get very busy, similar to the opening of school and I don’t let the occasion pass me by. My staff and I have been working day and night since mid-Ramadhan,” Shafiqul, a Bangladeshi national, said.
Eid celebrations wouldn’t be complete without exotic perfumes and price doesn’t stand in the way of a customer’s preference for a product, according to vendors.
“In my nearly 40 years of business in Muttrah, what I understand is that Omanis have a strong liking for certain fragrances, which vary between men and women,” says Abdul Shukoor, a perfume merchant.
“I mix and match some scents and my customers like them. For them, price is not a barrier for a genuine, classy perfume that is part of their identity,” Abdul Shukoor, who is soon opening his state-of-the-art production centre in Rusayl with his Omani partner, said.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
