OUR STORY
The First Generation
Assad Abdalla was born in Homs, Syria – 1870. He came from a humble origin; his father was a bakery owner. He was the fifth born among his brethren, and studied only the first year at school, because he had to start work very early. He came to be a shoemaker’s assistant, a weaver, and at the age of 15, he learned to cut and manage stones, all kind of materials used in construction in Homs. Ambitious, observer and intelligent, he started to pave the streets and soon became the Mayor’s land agent. During the rude winter, he used to do small work inland and get paid through materials such as: lentils, bags of oats, wheat and lamb, which he sold in town. This was a great opportunity for trade, because in a future not so far, he would use it as a profession here in Brazil.
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In 1895, at the age of 25 he came to Sao Paulo as an immigrant along with Nagib Salem, his cousin and other countrymen. He started as a hawker, carrying on his back a big box, full of all kind of things and trying to call the customers attention using a rattle through all streets of Penha, Santana and its neighborhood. Some months later, Assad and Nagib were already self-employed. At this time, many financial activities – majority by immigrants – were taking place around 25th March Street.
That was when it’s started to emerge the first reference to the house of trade in the hands of Syrian and Lebanese, they began little by little the retail trade. At that time, in Sao Paulo City, more than 90% of hawkers were Syrian and Lebanese.
The choice of clothing and the trade of small items were due to the low competition. As a realistic and decisive man, Assad decided in 1900, to raise a reserve fund to acquire and construct all kinds of building.
In this very same year, near his thirtieth birthday, he established his first company and settled two shops, one located at 25th March Street, and the other at Joao Alfredo Street – today it’s known as General Carneiro Street. Sometime later the two shops at 25th March Street were bought, and at the number 141, today 595, was built our headquarters.
Assad and his family start living upstairs his shop. 141, on 25th March Street became a famous number, because most popular items carried this number with them, and this brand became known all over Brazil.
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Building up a Branch
In this new shop, Assad began to work with new items imported by him, between 1908 and 1912; he travelled three times to Europe in order to buy new items. At that time almost everything was imported from England, Germany and France. The name Assad Abdalla and his care for his own name brought up great fruits. Before his death in Sao Paulo, at the age of 80, Assad worked along with his children and knew how to teach them very well, that the family is the society’s foundation, and that it would be necessary hard work to keep things growing.
The New Generation
To his children and grandchildren, Assad Abdalla left his reflections, teachings and a mission to generate and administrate the family’s business. Led by his good name, the Assad Abdalla’s family began to trade curtains. At that time, this trade was only done by pre-ordering. However the enterprising vision of Assad Abdalla Neto, along with his kwoledge in hearing his customers, gave him an idea of standardization, which many of his contestants found madness because they thought that each customer would want a different size.
The Customer is the Priority.Assad Abdalla believed that, by hearing their customers' opinion, salespersons, friends and employees, new and good ideas would appear, so did they, by talking to the office boy or even with the cleaning girl. In this way, they began to diverse their business, not by selling curtains alone but, items of bed, table and bath, and also could acquire the biggest carpets’ showroom in Brazil, more than 1000 square meters; selling also, domestic utilities, decoration items and appliances. Just like their founder, Assad Abdalla, his son, grandchildren and grant-grandchildren, travelled throughout the world searching for the best products and also prices.
Different Social Classes
With more than 45 thousand diversity of items, some of exclusivity, such as Mauviel French pans, this company believed and was able to reach people of different classes. Some items that were only found at Jardins (a noble place in Sao Paulo) before, are now sold at 25th March Street as well. A hard task indeed, since other company from the same range, situated at the noble parts of the city, started to put pressure on the manufactures, as they didn’t want these expensive items to be sold in the popular places.
Again, Assad Abdalla took a step ahead launching a new service – for those who cannot or “don’t want” to go to the 25th March Street – the e-commerce via the website. Besides the final customer, our shop feeds the hotels with products as: items of bed, table and bath, carpets, curtains, kitchenware and decoration, and also ehibit at Equipotel Fair. As for those who want to buy light equipments go to Consolacao Street, those who want a diverse option of items as carpets, curtains, items of bed, table and bath and domestic utilities have to go to 25th March Street.
Assad Abdalla – “one of the pioneers of 25th March Street’s trade, when the street was still paved by stone’s blocks and the salespersons used to wear suit, tie and a hat” – could not imagine, that a 100 years later, the shop he founded in 1905, would reach so many people, from different classes and places all over the country.
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