First of all we would like to congratulate all of the participants in this exhibition which illustrates that art is very much alive in Bahrain and to thank you for giving us the opportunity to support you.
Unfortunately Mrs. June Al-Saffar cannot be with us this evening because of a prior commitment but assures you of her continuing interest in the artistic development of Bahrain, particularly with regard to the fantastic talent of the women in Bahrain.
Mrs. Al-Saffar arrived in Bahrain in 1966 when the only work for women was secretarial, nursing or teaching. She became a medical secretary in the Government Hospital and continued to do this for more than seven years and then moved on to Gulf Air and another local hospital during which time she became aware that the local arts and crafts of Bahrain were being neglected and not progressing.
Things-To-Do was thus founded and started in a small garage in Fareej Al Kanoo in 1975. It was not long before this tiny shop was discovered by the expatriate and Bahraini community since the concentration of shops at that time was in the soug and its area. After two years the business expanded a little and moved to Hoora which had a small upstairs department and the range of products, particularly art, increased. We also opened a small shop in the new Yateem Centre which was one of the first mall type buildings at the time but this was not a success and closed after a relatively short period because at that time it was not very busy.
In the early 80’s we moved to our current location on the Budaiya Highway and expanded to include equestrian equipment which we had started to sell successfully in our stable in Shakhoora.
It has been quite a journey and was made worthwhile purely because of the warmth of our customers, who were mostly Bahraini and who still bring their families to the shop.
Meanwhile the art and craft scene in Bahrain has been maturing and we are proud to have played a part in this process and of the talent which has come to light.
We wish you success with this exhibition.
