{"id":384765,"date":"2025-03-25T01:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T04:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=384765"},"modified":"2025-03-25T16:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T19:46:17","slug":"memories-of-arabs-persisting-in-25-de-marco-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/memories-of-arabs-persisting-in-25-de-marco-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Memories of Arabs persisting in 25 de Mar\u00e7o Street"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The commerce on 25 de Mar\u00e7o Street, in downtown S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil, is changing: From wholesale to both wholesale and retail, and from physical to both physical and digital. Once home to Arab immigrants in the early 20th<\/sup> century, the area now hosts Brazilians, Chinese, Italians, and entrepreneurs from various countries. Although many descendants of Syrians and Lebanese have left the area, there are still merchants who support their families in the traditional \u201c25.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

25 de Mar\u00e7o Street is named after the first Constitution of Brazil, enacted on March 25, 1824. However, the Chamber of Deputies designated this date as National Arab Community Day because many Middle Eastern immigrants settled in the region to live and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A representative of the third generation of Rei do Armarinho<\/a>, a store located on Rua Cavalheiro Bas\u00edlio Jafet, Pierre Sarruf recounts the story of his grandfather, Afif, as that of many other immigrants from Syria and Lebanon who settled on the \u201c25.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"25
25 de Mar\u00e7o Street, home to Arab immigrants in the 20th century, has adapted to modern times while preserving its historic roots<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Afif\u2019s two older brothers arrived in Brazil in 1910. They worked as peddlers throughout the interior of S\u00e3o Paulo until opening a store in the 25 de Mar\u00e7o area. They then brought over their younger siblings, including Afif. As they grew older, Afif took over the business, with partnerships evolving over the years as the company expanded. Of Afif’s four children, S\u00e9rgio and Gilberto, Pierre\u2019s father, continued in the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Rei do Armarinho also offers services, such as courses with professionals who create knit and crochet clothing. In sales, ribbons, embroidery, and threads for crochet and knitting are some of the store\u2019s main products. Pierre mentions that the Christmas collection is a special feature. At the end of the year, the store opens a showroom with new items for the season, where it hosts decorators who offer tips to customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe made some reductions due to the overheating of the real estate market in the area with the arrival of the Chinese in the 1990s and 2000s. There was pressure on rent, so we ended up reducing our physical space and created wholesale sales alternatives through commercial representatives. We updated ourselves by building a well-structured online store for customers who can’t come here,\u201d says Pierre, 48, the CEO of a 99-year-old company that he manages with his brother Philipe, 43, the CFO.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Roberto
Roberto (L), Jo\u00e3o, Guilherme, and Elias: Their life paths and the company\u2019s history are intertwined with the very story of the region<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The business arrangements that took place at Rei do Armarinho are also seen in other stores. The reasons, according to the merchants, range from high costs to operate in the area to the departure of younger generations from the business to pursue other professions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elias Ambar\u2019s parents, Georges and Linda, arrived in Brazil in 1948 from Kfar Meshki, a town south of Beirut, Lebanon. Their first child, Roberto, now 75, was born in 1949. They were followed by Mari, 73, Elias, and Jo\u00e3o, 67. Once settled in Brazil, Georges and his cousins, who were already living there, went out to trade through the interior of S\u00e3o Paulo. Mari was born in Mar\u00edlia, a town in the state\u2019s interior where the family briefly tried to settle, but Georges gave up. \u201cI think his vibe was different. He said, \u2018I’m going to S\u00e3o Paulo,\u2019\u201d says Elias, who, like Roberto and Jo\u00e3o, is from S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elias recalls, sometimes consulting his brother Roberto, the events that brought Armarinho Ambar<\/a> to the present day, a trajectory intertwined with the history of the 25 de Mar\u00e7o Street area. First, Elias\u2019 father settled on a property on Carlos de Souza Nazar\u00e9 Street, an area that frequently flooded. They moved the store to Cavalheiro Bas\u00edlio Jafet Street, and in 1967, they finally relocated to Rua 25 de Mar\u00e7o, where they remain to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUntil around 1970, we worked heavily in wholesale. Retail barely existed. But there was an event that initially seemed like a disaster, which was a flood [around 1967]. My father had just acquired the store and had debts. He lost everything. We cleaned the store and tried to salvage what we could. Then the news spread that we were selling the merchandise at rock-bottom prices,\u201d recalls Elias about a promotion that local businesses affected by the flood held to sell off their stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith that, people got used to it and learned to come to 25 de Mar\u00e7o. And with the evolution of the market, the 25 started opening up space for retail,\u201d he says. In addition to the typical S\u00e3o Paulo flood, the ups and downs of the Brazilian economy contributed to further changes in the region’s trade. The inflation of the 1980s, the opening to imported products in the early 1990s, and the introduction of the Real Plan in 1994 led to the diversification of products, businesses, and shopkeepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until the internet changed everything. \u201cEverything is everything now. In the past, the store was almost entirely wholesale, 90% wholesale. Then it started turning into a mix of wholesale and retail, with retail sales increasing, and wholesale taking on a slightly different appeal.\u201d The one who says the internet \u201cchanged everything\u201d is Jorge Dib, director of Dep\u00f3sito de Meias S\u00e3o Jorge. The company was founded by his father, Salvador, and his uncle, Feiad, who, as children, began peddling goods at S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s street markets until they were both hired to work at a store. They later left that company and, once again together, opened Dep\u00f3sito de Meias S\u00e3o Jorge<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arabs of Rua 25 de Mar\u00e7o and the digital transformation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Among all the changes the business has gone through, Dib says the internet was the one that forced the company to reinvent itself. \u201cThe idea was to open other stores across Brazil and create a multi-brand network. But the founders convinced us not to do that. They had a different mindset, believing it wouldn\u2019t work. So, we shifted to another segment, which today represents most of the company\u2019s revenue, the digital one. We have a strong presence in the digital market,\u201d he says. However, he has no plans to give up the company\u2019s two locations on 25 de Mar\u00e7o Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife is completely different now. We have reach, a network that covers all of Brazil\u2014we serve the entire country, both wholesale and retail. We operate across 14 marketplaces,\u201d he says, referring to the digital platforms where products purchased from his company are resold by other merchants.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Jorge
Jorge Dib: Digital business reshaped the company, which still maintains two locations on 25 de Mar\u00e7o Street<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In addition to being local entrepreneurs, Dib and Elias are directors of the Union of Shopkeepers of 25 de Mar\u00e7o and Surroundings (Univinco), which represents local businesses in discussions with civil society, authorities, and companies. One of the institution\u2019s current challenges is demanding a solution for the frequent power outages. Another challenge is finding ways to enhance security for both shopkeepers and customers. Through Univinco, merchants also explore strategies to attract visitors traveling to S\u00e3o Paulo for trade fairs and events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area covered by Univinco includes 17 streets and avenues and 3,500 stores, 590 of which are at street level, while the rest are in commercial buildings. About 60% of the shopkeepers are members of Univinco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an area of the city located between the Mercad\u00e3o [S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Municipal Market] and the Marco Zero [at Pra\u00e7a da S\u00e9]. There\u2019s a lot happening here culturally, and we’re right in the middle of it, along with the Mercad\u00e3o,\u201d says Dib about the location of 25 de Mar\u00e7o Street. \u201cThere are several Arab restaurants in the area, and maybe some things need to be promoted. There are generations that still don\u2019t fully know what happens here,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generation after generation, these descendants of Arab immigrants continue to make a living and expand their businesses there, alongside a diverse array of merchants offering a wide variety of products from different backgrounds. They have no intention of leaving. In fact\u2014as Dib, Sarruf, and Ambar have demonstrated\u2014they want to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a 99-year-old company, we have deep love and respect for what our predecessors built. Those of us managing Rei do Armarinho today understand the immense effort our families put in. We fight to preserve and modernize the business. Despite the fierce competition in the market, this is our place,\u201d says Sarruf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ambar family, like the Sarruf and Dib families, also invests in digital business and derives part of the company\u2019s revenue from there. Guilherme Ambar, 45, Roberto\u2019s son, is responsible for this part of the business. Everyone, except for his sister Mari, is involved in the daily operations of Armarinho Ambar. And they plan to stay, says Elias: \u201cThinking about leaving 25 de Mar\u00e7o\u2026 certainly not. Because this is our life here, there is a very strong connection. We were born here in the region. If you ask me if I could be born again, would I choose not to come to 25? No. So many good things have happened\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more:<\/em>
Get to know the memories of Arab immigration<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong>
<\/a><\/p>\n

Marcos Carrieri\/ANBA<\/div>
\u00a9Fabio Vieira\/FotoRua\/NurPhoto via AFP<\/div>
Marcos Carrieri\/ANBA<\/div>
Marcos Carrieri\/ANBA<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On this National Day of the Arab Community, descendants of merchants who arrived in Brazil reflect on their family history and adapt to new business models in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s famous commercial district.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2317,"featured_media":384791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[14026,9534,39141,40130,40127,32656,14696,52737,2268,7847,52738,33005,52739,29862,3656,34968,6645],"class_list":{"0":"post-384765","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-special-reports","8":"tag-ambar","9":"tag-brazil-en","10":"tag-businesspeople","11":"tag-chinese","12":"tag-chineses-en","13":"tag-empresarios-en","14":"tag-internet-ar","15":"tag-italians","16":"tag-lebanese","17":"tag-march-25","18":"tag-rei-do-armarinho-2","19":"tag-rua-25-de-marco-en","20":"tag-sao-jorge-2","21":"tag-sao-paulo-en-2","22":"tag-syrians","23":"tag-varejo-en-3","24":"tag-wholesale"},"wps_subtitle":"On this National Day of the Arab Community, descendants of merchants who arrived in Brazil reflect on their family history and adapt to new business models in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s famous commercial district.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2317"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}