Category: Shopping

Best Electronics carry a few high-end sound systems but they’re only located in their flagship store in Shuwaikh. I’ve previously brushed on this briefly during my home sound system upgrade post but decided it was worth highlighting again since BEST recently moved their Shuwaikh store to a newer location and in the process, expanded their sound system section.

Here are some of the brands they carry at this one specific location:

Anthem
Denon
Definitive Technology
Earthquake Sound
Gallo Acoustics
Paradigm
Technics

You won’t find these items on their website or in any of their other locations. The new BEST store is located right next to their old location and is huge. The premium sound system section is located in the back corner on the ground floor and they even have a small theater room in which they demonstrate different screen projectors and speakers.

If you want to check any of the brands above out, here is the location of this store on Google Maps.

Threadless is an online community of artists and an e-commerce website

teeplus is a local website that plays two roles, it allows you to buy apparel using local designs, and it allows you to sell apparel using your own original designs. It’s similar to the popular website Threadless except it’s local.

Buy Tshirts by Local Artists
The website contains hundreds and hundreds of designs submitted by various artists and designers with many of them being localized designs or ideas which makes them unique. Prices are pretty good with t-shirts starting at 9KD and sweatshirts for 15KD.

Sell & Create
As an artist, you can also make money by selling products that use your design ranging from t-shirts and sweatshirts to tote bags and phone covers. The way it works is you create an account, upload your design and then decide what you want to apply the design too. For every product, you sell through the website you make a profit ranging from 15% to 20%.

Even though teeplus is not a new idea, it’s still a great initiative since it creates an outlet for local artists to be able to generate money using their work. I’ve already added a whole bunch of t-shirts to my cart and still browsing for more as of this post. If you want to check out the designs or buy a t-shirt, the website is teeplus.co

If you follow Whole Latte Love on YouTube you probably know they’re big fans of Profitec coffee machines and constantly give them high scores. So while window shopping for a new machine recently, I was surprised to find out we have a distributor for Profitec in Kuwait. Rawi Coffee is the local exclusive distributor and their prices are considerably lower than prices online even when compared to Whole Latte Love:

Profitec 700
Rawi Coffee: KD 880
Whole Latte Love: KD 736 (not including tax and shipping)

Profitec 600
Rawi Coffee: KD 680
Whole Latte Love: KD 914 (not including tax and shipping)

Profitec 500
Rawi Coffee: KD 580
Whole Latte Love: KD 613 (not including tax and shipping)

If you’re looking to get a new prosumer coffee machine you should probably consider checking out these Profitec ones. Link

The LEGO store at The Avenues moved to a new larger location closer to the food court, the same location where Tim Hortons (RIP) used to be.

Judging by the photos, it doesn’t seem to be that much larger than the older space, but the storefront is definitely bigger and since it’s on a corner, the space looks more inviting with all the glass windows. The store officially opens later tonight.

Update: Just got the press release and it seems the new store isn’t larger than the older one, just a different location with a new look. There is a replica of the Kuwait Towers made using 21,591 LEGO bricks, a LEGO magnifying glass that allows you to view a model in detail, and there are hands-on play opportunities.

Flora is a fresh flower wholesaler and supplier located in the basement of a building in Salmiya. I live within walking distance from it and didn’t know they existed until a couple of years ago so doubt a lot of people know about it unless they’re really into flowers.

There is no sign outside, no display, it’s just a door that takes you down into a basement of a building. Once you’re done it’s pretty cool because it’s not something you’d expect to find. The space is divided into two main parts, the unrefrigerated area which usually contains plants, dry flowers, and various florist tools, and the refrigerated area which contains all their fresh flowers.

There are two large walk-in refrigerators in the back of the store that house the flowers. The refrigerators have glass sliding doors and there is a switch outside you need to press to open them to get in. So if it’s your first time there you can either have them open the door for you or look for the switch. Once you open the door you can just walk into the fridge and check the flowers they have and pick what you want.

I’m not a flowers person so don’t know much about the varieties they carry so thankfully they do have a website which you can check out that lists all their available flowers with their prices thefloraonline.com

The prices are going to be cheaper than elsewhere since they’re suppliers. They also do make bouquets and arrangements for you, so you can pick what you want and they’ll put it all together. If you want to check the place out, their Instagram is @thefloraonlinekw and here is their location on Google Maps. Once you get to the location you’ll see a flower shop on the ground floor, that’s a different shop, the entrance to Flora is to the right of it.

When I mention the lack of self-checkout machines at supermarkets in Kuwait under one of my posts, a reader told me they had them at Shamiya supermarket. So I went last night to double-check and he was right, they had two of them. Turns out Mishref and Qurtoba Coop also have self-checkout machines.

I don’t shop at Coops so wouldn’t have known about this unless someone told me. Are self-checkout machines now popping up in all Coops? Cuz if that is the case it’s even weirder that a private more modern supermarket like Sultan Center or Lulu don’t have them.

While in London I spotted an Amazon Fresh grocery store next to my hotel using their grab-and-go concept. Basically it’s the next step after self-checkout, there is no checkout. You basically walk into the store, open your Amazon app and pull up a QR code which you need to scan at the entrance before going in. After that, you just take whatever you want from the shelves and then walk out without having to go through the checkout process. The store’s AI matches you to your Amazon account and using various cameras knows what you take and just charges your credit card.

The process felt pretty weird cuz on the way out you don’t have to scan or do anything, you just walk out. So it feels like you forgot to do something or that you’ve stolen an item. But it’s pretty great and after my first purchase, I got £10 credit put into my account to use during the day at the store, and then the second time I picked up something, I got another £10 credit put into my account to use during the evenings at the store. So basically was shopping for free.

I still don’t understand why our supermarket chains here don’t install self check out machines. Dear Sultan Center, please install self-checkout machines it’s 2022!

I found out about Smiths Boutique by mistake recently. Before I traveled on vacation I was in Dasman Complex picking up a burger from Top Bun when I noticed something going on in one of the shops nearby. Turns out it was a small event for a local watch boutique called Smiths. I’m a big fan of watches and so decided to check the event out. The owner was there, a watch guy himself (obviously) so he proceeded to explain to me and my friends his concept, the watch brands he had on display, and why he chose to bring those specific ones to Kuwait.

Smiths carries brands you might never have heard of like Laco, Roue, RZE and HVD but they all have interesting stories. Laco for example is a German watch brand that has been around since 1925 while Roue is a brand inspired by watches in the 60s and 70s. Smiths also carries modified and homage watches, a category that has exploded in popularity recently due to watches like the CasiOak, a mashup where people took an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak replica case and combined it with a Casio. Smiths carries some modified Seiko watches which are interesting, fun, and attainable, but that also pretty much describes all the watches Smiths carry.

If you like watches you’ll appreciate what Smiths is trying to do. With most of the watch stores sticking to popular and generic big names, it’s refreshing to see one thats trying to be a bit more unique and offer something more curated. The Smiths Instagram is pretty active and informative so make sure you check that out @smiths.oclock but their website is also mobile phone friendly with all their watches displayed along with their prices, you can check that out at smiths.boutique

Rullart is a local concept that started in 2001 creating gifts for gurgayaan and since then has evolved and expanded its product line to include a lot more items. Most of the ones I spotted in their store in Assima would be great gifts to give during Ramadan like prayer sets (including cute travel ones), mubkhars, Quran covers and more.

All their items are really pretty with cool patterns and tasteful colors. They also have a pretty good website, so if you don’t want to visit the store in person you can shop online although I couldn’t find everything I saw in person on it. If you’re looking for cool gifts or maybe something for you this Ramadan, check them out. Link

I’ve been meaning to get back to doing cardio exercises but have just been so lazy the past few months. Then a couple of weeks ago I decided to get an Assault Airbike. I previously had the Concept2 Rower but sold it when I stopped using it (got bored) so I didn’t want to get another one again. You’ve probably come across an Assault Airbike at your gym, they’re a cross between a traditional exercise bike and an elliptical so you can work out the top and lower half of your body at the same time. It doesn’t take up too much space and isn’t as expensive as the Concept2 rower so figured it was worth getting one and trying it out.

I specifically wanted the Assault Fitness brand and I wasn’t sure I’d find it in Kuwait so I started my search on Amazon and calculate how much it would cost to ship to Kuwait. But, I quickly found out that the AssaultBike was actually readily available in Kuwait, the only odd thing was how varied the prices were from one supplier to another:

Assault AirBike Classic
ProSports: KD333
Sports World: KD297
GetFit: KD290
BeFit: KD282
12st Gym: KD275
Wellness First: KD245

Those are the prices I found for the exact same bike! As you can guess, I ended up buying mine from Wellness First since they were the cheapest and by a good margin. If they weren’t official distributors for the Assault Fitness brand I would have assumed the bikes were counterfeit or something but they’re legit. The ordering process with them was pretty smooth, I ordered the bike via Whatsapp, they came two days later and installed it, and after they were done sent me a payment link. Easy.

So if you’re looking for an Assault airbike, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from.

You’ve probably come across Marvis toothpaste when on vacation somewhere. They usually are sold at concept stores and nice pharmacies and is considered to be a somewhat luxury toothpaste brand. They come in a handful of intense flavors with my favorite being cinnamon. I was always curious to why no one in Kuwait sold Marvis but now I found a place that does called “The Nob Shop” and their prices seem pretty good since they’re all discounted right now.

If you’re a fan of Marvis toothpaste or want to try it, here is a link the product page on The Nob Shop. Link

I posted about weighted blankets for sale at Ace Hardware last year but these blankets by OneBase are much nicer. They come in two colors and two weights, 5KG and 8KG. Unlike most weighted blankets, OneBase does not fill theirs with plastic pellets, instead, they’re made from 100% fabric. The chunky style of hand knitting also keeps you cool due to the air gaps within the braids.

They’re slightly more expensive than the blankets Ace was selling but they are much cooler looking and of better quality. Plus it’s always good to support local brands. If you want one, you can order it from the OneBase website byonebase.com

The Common Good is a local online store that recently launched selling products made from natural and sustainable materials. They’ve got some interesting items including very stylish-looking ones from the Danish brand Haps Nordic as well as some cool wooden toys for kids.

Their prices seem pretty decent, at first, I thought they might have been overpricing since there was a lunch box by Haps Nordic I was checking out and it was priced at 12KD. But, turns out Haps Nordic themselves sell the same lunchbox for around 11.5KD so I guess the items themselves are just expensive.

If you’re into natural and sustainable living you might find something you’d like on their website. Here is the link.

If you’re looking to buy film or film cameras, Laqta is a local online store that has the largest collection I’ve seen so far in Kuwait. They have cameras starting from 15KD going all the way up to 246KD for a medium format Mamiya. They also have three kinds of 35mm film for sale as well as 120mm medium format film for sale.

Their instagram account is @allaqtaa but if you want to check out their full catalog then visit their website laqtafilmstore.com

Ever since old Salmiya got a facelift I’ve refrained from posting about it due to all the issues I have with the project (which I won’t get into in this post). But, one good thing has come out of it and that is Little Manila.

Over the past couple of years, the Filipino community has been slowly taking over the first chunk of Salem Mubarek Street that was made pedestrian-only a few years ago. It started off with popular Asian-focused supermarkets popping up, followed by shops and restaurants (we now have like 400 fried chicken and bubble tea concepts now). There is a lot of life on the street now with a great atmosphere in the evenings. We have live music, lots of outdoor restaurants, dogs and kids running around, and even pop-up markets.

Although I still have issues with the project, I like how the community has taken it over. When I was a kid we used to call the neighborhood old Salmiya but now everyone is calling it Little Manila. If you haven’t been to the neighborhood before or haven’t been in a while, you should come by. Parking and traffic are still an issue but if you’re willing to park a bit far and walk you’ll be fine. Here is the location on Google Maps.