Shopping in Hamra

“Hamra Street is the closest street to what the Burj area (what is now referred to as downtown Beirut) was back in the 1950s, meaning it is working class to a certain extent, has a bit of everything and is a place where people of all income levels mix together,” says Saadi Hamady, owner of Poly Project Inc. which operates Bricks on Makdessi Street, describing Hamra Street in an earlier interview with Executive. Hamady’s statement can be quantified through a casual walk down Hamra’s main street where approximately 130 commercial shops, excluding food and beverage (F&B) outlets, are packed side by side. In total, there are about 800 retail outlets on Hamra Street and its immediate vicinity, according to last year’s count by the Hamra Traders Association, in which they included everything from travel agents to money exchange shops, F&B outlets aside. In these outlets one can find everything from