Mona, Mervat, and Nadia are three Alexandrian-born relatives who work in a profession that’s usually limited to men. They entered a line of work that requires physical strength, with a strong belief that nothing is impossible when you have a strong will and desire to succeed.
The success story began when Mervat Rashid decided to recycle and renovate a chair in her home, and she decided to do this work with her own hands without the help of a specialist.
She took the decision based on years of working in handicrafts, especially needlework, embroidery, and making products from beads. However, working on furniture posed quite a challenge, seeing as she had never attempted anything similar.
With the help of her sister, Mona, and her sister’s stepdaughter, Nadia, Mervat was able to finish her project, and the result was impressive. Moreover, Nadia, who was highly active on social media, created a page on social networking sites, which majorly contributed to sharing and marketing their work.
Soon enough, their page aroused the admiration of many fans due to the ingenuity and uniqueness of their pieces. And thus, began the career of the three Egyptian women in the renovation business.
Mervat, says that although she is married with three children, she does her best to work in such a difficult profession. She started with knitting bed sheets and clothing items, beads and needlework, then moved on to sewing curtains. When her business grew, she started working on home furniture.
Rashid explained how she broke into the business, saying: In the beginning, I worked alone; I watched educational videos on the Internet to learn and master this profession, until I finally felt confident after eight years of work, especially in everything related to western upholstery, salons, sofas, and dining chairs.
After developing her craft, Mona and Nadia joined her; the three of them worked, hand in hand, on growing their business, marketing their products, and attracting more customers.
As for her work in renovating furniture, she says: “In the beginning, several clients asked to change the color of their furniture. We decided to learn the proper steps and did not hesitate to ask specialists for tips until I gained the needed experience to produce finished products.
Rashid also addressed the difficulties they face in their chosen career, affirming that even though their work involves a lot of physical effort, they are up to the challenge and have been doing it for a long time.
She added that they target special clients who prefer to renovate their existing furniture rather than buy new stuff.
Regarding their future ambitions, they aspire to open a workshop of their own for carpentry, upholstery, and renovation work. In addition, they hope to participate in specialized exhibitions to display their handmade products and bring in more customers.
For her part, Nadia indicated that she is keen on keeping up with the latest fashion trends and presenting them to clients. She also looks forward to acquiring their own space in a showroom that displays their finished products.
