Kutubna Cultural Center: A Literary Oasis in Dubai

Kutubna Cultural Center, launched in 2023, has quickly become a beacon of cultural and literary enrichment in Dubai. Known for its curated book selection and diverse cultural events, Kutubna is more than just a bookstore. It is a cultural hub that brings together art, music, and literature enthusiasts. With the recent addition of Café Kutubna, inspired by the inclusive community spaces of Chicago, new experiences are brewing for Kutubna’s patrons. This café offers a welcoming environment for art appreciation, music, and enlightening discussions over a cup of delicious coffee. For more information, visit Kutubna.

In an engaging conversation, Anurima Das, Executive Editor of IMAGES RetailME, sits down with Shatha Almutawa, the visionary Founder & Director of Kutubna Cultural Center, to discuss her journey, challenges, and aspirations.

Tell me a little about the inspiration. What kind of pushed you to build a place like this?
I was working as a professor in the US for about ten years, and I was in love with my work. I enjoyed it. Then I had a baby, and it was very important for me that she had the kind of childhood that I had growing up. I was surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, and I wanted that for her. So, it was a little bit of a tough decision to leave my work in the US. But it was an amazing decision to come back home. And when we came back, I had to figure out what I would do here that would make me happy. I knew that I had to work with books–I love books, and being around books is what really feeds my soul.

But are you able to kind of balance work and home now that you’re here?
It’s never a perfect balance. I feel like this is a cliche, right? Women often say, I always feel like I’m failing at everything, or I’m falling short with everything. And that’s true for me. I worked late last night and missed bedtime with my daughter, which left me with so much remorse and sorrow. When I got home, I wanted to hold her and hug her and kiss her, but of course I would not disturb her sleep. You know, it’s a negotiation every single day. And I fall behind with so much here in the business. There are days when I feel that I am not spending enough time with my daughter, so I take a day off and try to ignore my work when it feels like I can’t afford to.

In your business also, you are curating every aspect. How difficult or how easy is it to curate and also keep yourself abreast with what is happening because you have to obviously read the consumer minds and you curate, right?

Yeah, it’s not easy. It’s been very unpredictable. For example, when we first started, we thought if we did some really fun, light-hearted events, they would probably attract the public and we’d make enough money to cover the costs of the really scholarly, intellectual stuff that probably few people are interested in. It was the exact opposite. The very scholarly programming got the most attendance, and we made the most money from those events. People are very hungry for intellectual stimulation and to be part of conversations about current research. They want to understand the history of this region, for example.

But when you look at your book selection that you put on the shelf, do you also think about the price tag or everything else?

Oh, my goodness. It is incredibly difficult to get books on our shelves. I had no idea the complexity of the supply chain involved in getting books on the shelves and all its costs and how little profit you can make selling books. Now I do look at the price tag. I entered this thinking; I actually want to sell the books that nobody else is selling here. You know, the really academic stuff that I love to read, but we can’t, because those books cost 400 dirhams or 500 dirhams for one book. I can’t afford to take the risk that nobody will buy them because I can’t return these books back to the US, which is often where they’re coming from. I can’t return them back to Europe. So no, I’m not buying the books that I would love to buy. But I am taking some risks with books and then going with the attitude that we have to create awareness about these books and help people see why they’re valuable in order to sell them.

How many books do you read in a week or month?

It varies. When I was a professor, I probably would go through five books in a week, maybe. Not all of them read very carefully because a lot of it was research reading. But then, as a mother, it’s much, much harder to run a business, take care of a small child, and also read. When my daughter was born, I decided to read every time I was pumping for her. So, I would nurse during the day, and at night I would pump once or twice, and I finished reading a whole academic book within two months. Now we read tons of children’s books because my daughter loves to read. So, yeah, it varies.

Globally, you have kept an eye on the book industry. You have seen the bookstores in the US. And now you are handling this. What kind of research did you have to do here in this region to understand what people are reading?

I don’t select books based on what I think people are reading. I select books based on what I think people should be reading. I think the way that we present books is very important for how people choose to buy them. When you take bestsellers that are written by American authors who are very popular, and you put them at the front of the store and you put them everywhere and you advertise a lot for them, people will read them. It’s a simple marketing fact that once people have seen something over and over enough times, they are probably going to buy it at some point if it relates to their lives. So, this is the attitude that I’m taking with the books that people may not be reading. We are here to show people the books that are not being marketed and that are not being advertised enough.

As a woman leader who is running a business, and you have been a professor, you’ve been on the other side. What are your two to three biggest learnings till now that you want to pass on to women?

I can say, first of all, that I have been very fortunate in that being a woman has not been an obstacle for me in any way in running my business. This is because I have had so many people who really believe in the mission of this place and in situations where being a woman can be an obstacle–for example, in negotiating with contractors–I’ve had support systems of people who would step in and take over the parts where, let’s say, the contractor might be thinking, “she’s a woman and she doesn’t understand any of this.” So, I would have people in my circle who would fill the gaps of my knowledge and who would help me in negotiating or solving problems. So, it has never felt like an obstacle. The motherhood component, on the other hand, is a real challenge. I’ve had this very strong fear that if I just stop working and take care of my child for a few years, then I’m never going to be able to work again. This fear is based on real biases that exist in the world against mothers, and against people who have taken breaks from work. But I believe that society would benefit from this aspect of work culture changing. So, I want other women to be able to take breaks from work when they want to take them and to be able to come back when they are ready.

Absolutely. Very, very rightly said. But would you also want to talk a little about the café because you started a café recently? How is that going? What kind of vibe are you creating here?

Café Kutubna is really an extension of the bookstore. We want people to feel like they can come and spend time with the books, spend time with each other, and enjoy conversations over a good cup of coffee. We also host events such as workshops and tastings in the café so it’s really a space for community building. The vibe is very relaxed and welcoming, with a lot of natural light upstairs and comfortable seating. It’s a place where people can feel at home and be inspired by the books and the conversations happening around them.

That’s lovely. And finally, any last words for our readers?

I hope everyone finds a little bit of time in their day to read, to explore new ideas, and to connect with their community. Whether it’s through a book, a conversation, or an event, there’s so much to discover and enjoy.