You buy signed Real Madrid shirts and even signed gloves from ‘The Greatest Of All Time’.
“I was in one of the entertainment expos and passed by an exhibitor who had memorabilia of different artists, movies and politicians and I was like ‘Wow what is that?’” says Samer Mashal reminiscing about the moment he was inspired about sourcing collectibles.
Admiring the range of music, film and political collections during his chance visit to the exhibit at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida in mid-2015, Samer was subconsciously laying the foundations for the Notorious Café.
A passion for collecting that began as a child, Samer’s first forays into the collectible business industry began in 2015 with his former enterprise Le Vault based at Nation Towers in the capital; a store that focused on selling exquisite, bespoke furniture alongside collectibles sourced from the company he met at IAAPA Expo.
“I used to collect many things when I was younger – stamps, money and tickets from different concerts. I just had this passion of keeping different things.
“I had a few enquiries in the previous business where people would come in and say I want a custom piece for Star Wars or specific celebrity like Al Pacino. What we did from our end is we used to talk with the company in the US and ask for that customisation so they would come up with different ideas to propose to the client.”
The doors finally closed on Le Vault in 2017 but when the pandemic hit, the Abu Dhabian found himself turning to memorabilia and his other devotion in life, coffee, for his next venture.
Taking inspiration from Hard Rock Café, Samer set about replicating the world-famous restaurant with one key difference; you can actually buy the memorabilia off the walls.
“My concept is come in, take pictures, enjoy the vibe, have your coffee and if you love the piece, you can buy it.”
A trip to the Notorious Café in the Al Qana lifestyle district will reveal a stylish establishment, with brick work interiors adorned by famous memorabilia including a 2012/13 Real Madrid jersey signed by the squad, The Godfather and signed personal gloves from ‘The Greatest Of All Time’, Muhammed Ali.
The café is also a popular hub for coffee connoisseurs of Abu Dhabi where a roasting machine takes pride of place on the front counter.
“We source, we roast and we serve everything in-house. We are trying to give you that fresh bean-to-cup experience plus being in this kind of vibe, seeing all this memorabilia, it just gives you that unique concept you wouldn’t see anywhere.
“The minute anyone walks into my cafe, they grab their phones and start recording. That was the inspiration of designing the cafe.”
For more information visit notorious.ae
