The newly inaugurated store of Goan Art Tailors in Doha.
DOHA
India’s iconic brand Goan Art Tailors, which has operating in Qatar for the last 63 years, have shifted to a new location.
The new premises is located in Al Mansoora, near Carpet Center while the old structure which will shortly go under the hammer was operating from the Musheireb area for the last 18 years.
Goan Art Tailors, incidentally is the only establishment in Qatar which has Goa related name for its firm and has been operating in the gas-rich country since 1957 and was set up by late Sebastiao Francis Crasto.
His first shop in Qatar was near the now extinct Arab Roundabout, in the business hub of National Area and the new location is the third place they had to located over the last six decades.
With Qatar witnessing a host of development changes in terms of infrastructure ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Musheireb is one which has gone for a change over the years.
Goan Art tailors journey kicked off when Crasto landed in Doha from Mumbai after sailing on the seas for seven days. Crasto had prepared the groundwork for setting up a shop in Qatar while he started his business and run his firm for five years in Manama, Bahrain. After coming to Qatar, he started one branch in Oman, Muscat also.
Over the years, Goan Art Tailors have had served some top notched companies based in Qatar, including airline giants Qatar Airways, besides other customers.
The family run business is now run by the second and third generation of Crasto’s family, which hail from Colva and also has links to the neigbouring Benaulim village in South Goa.
“It is always a pleasure to see the Qatar Airways airhostess and other staff ground staff wearing the uniforms stitched by our tailors. We also cater to Sealine Beach Resort, Radisson Blu Hotel, Avenue Hotel, Primary Health Care Centre, Centara Hotel, Al Fardan and Modern Home besides others,” said Nikita Rodrigues, granddaughter of Crasto.
“We are delighted to move to a new location, which is centrally located and also has good parking space for our customers,” said Nicolau Rodrigues son-in-law of Crasto.
Going down memory lane Rodrigues disclosed that his father-in-law first set up his shop in National Area of Doha.
“Our first shop was near the old Arab Roundup, popularly known as the National Area, the area was a hub of all economic activity in the gone by era.
Then it was shifted to Musheireb, Near Jaidah Tower,” added Rodrigues, who runs the day-to-day affairs of the establishment along with his brother-in-law Joao Crasto.
It was while in Bahrain the seeds of Crasto’s business empire were sowed.
“Yes, while he was working in Bahrain, someone approached him and floated him the idea of setting up a shop in Qatar,” he recalls.
From there on, it was no stopping back. With business growing Goan Art Tailors shifted to Musheireb in 2002.
The Goa-linked family establishment have been catering to various communities and deferent nationalities over the years besides some of the commercial establishment.
Most of the staff have been recruited from different countries taking into account the needs of the clients.
One of the veteran staff Pramod Pithadiya, who has been working with them for close to four decades said joining Goan Art Tailors changed in life and was thankful to Sebastiao Francis Crasto.
“I have been working for Goan Art Tailors for the last 35 years. Sebastiao Francis Crasto was nice and kind hearted person. I am grateful to him and his family for bringing about a change in my life. Now the business is run by the son and daughter of Sebasitao,” said Mumbai-born Pramod, who hails from a family which are into tailoring business in the financial capital of India.
