Inside Hobb

What made you decide to found Hobb, and why? What was the idea that kickstarted this?

Malhas: Conceptually, Hobb did not start as a bookstore; it started from a place of claim and a bit of cynicism. I am a designer, specialised in branding, and halfway through February 2013, I was nauseated by the red teddy bears and roses – nothing against romantic love – but I felt like we needed to claim the word back. Of course, a month after my first child was born, I was still high on my newfound maternal love, and was exploring all the ways love (‘hobb’ in Arabic) can be expressed. I thought, “How fun would it be if we created a brand called Hobb?” I designed the logo, and a few more things, but nothing beyond that; it was a dream, a recurring dream, that kept revisiting me over the following six years, until it was a matter of “launch it or let it go.”

I launched it in 2020, from my small home office where I was freelancing, and shipped out books ordered on our online store. By 2021 we opened the doors to our bricks-and-mortar store. The day they put the sticker up on the window was a particularly emotional one for me: it was like bringing a child into the world. Hobb was emotionally, mentally and physically exhausting, and seeing it up in physical form was a joy beyond words. 

After you founded the bookstore, what was the response like?

Malhas: I started the bookstore thinking I was going to spend my days around books, and only books. What I didn’t realise is that books would bring the most beautiful souls. Seeing someone find the right book is such a thrill; it gave the expression ‘light up’ a whole new meaning, because they literally light up; you can see it all over their face. A book lover walking into a bookshop is now my favourite thing to witness, followed by the conversation. I’ve had the best conversations in Hobb, and for that I will always be grateful. I had the honour to see people talk about and birth dreams, I saw people in pursuit of their passions, I heard stories and experiences worthy of books, but in human form. 

Who does Hobb cater to? What’s the story behind its namesake?

Malhas: Hobb mainly caters to the creative industries, but it welcomes all curious souls. I love asking people what they do, or what their dreams are; I am terrible at small talk! We’ve catered to libraries, hotels and design studios of different sizes, but we’ve also met chocolate makers and perfume-makers, as well as mycologists and psychologists! 

The name stands for finding passion and purpose, it is about pursuit and the obsessive nature of loving something. It is also a reclaim of how the media portrays love; it’s not red roses and teddy bears, it’s consistent work and effort towards a goal or a direction. Also, let’s not forget how fitting it is for a place that caters to book-lovers and design-lovers alike. 

You also hold a lot of workshops here – can you take us through a few of these?

Malhas: We’re lucky to have our intimate space, quietly tucked in Wasl Square, Dubai – smelling of baked goods thanks to our neighbours – which has allowed us to host book launches, mixers and workshops. We’ve opened the space in the summer for anyone willing to share their craft or experience, and the response has been wonderful. We’ve had a book binding session, a design meet up, a branding card game, and a board game that resembles the art world! 

What are some initiatives held at the bookshop?

Malhas: We’re always experimenting with new things. Right now we’re looking at collecting as many zines from the region as possible; we’d like to be a hub for self-publishing artists. We also want to connect the community and do more mixers. 

What are you hoping Hobb to eventually be in the future?

Malhas: Right now, Hobb is a bookstore and my personal creative space, as I use it during the day to finish my own branding work. In the future, I would love to see it expand into a co-working space, somewhere people can spend their day seeking inspiration and share their craft. The challenge is to keep the intimacy to it; I love the size of the business, and the conversations, and I worry that a bigger space would take away from our little hidden gem feel.