Tag Archives | vintage

The Best Yard Sale Ever – For The Vintage Collectors

Following my post about Hadi’s retro games collection, I got some e-mail asking me if I knew about some shops with same offering around Beirut. I unfortunately don’t, but I thought of writing about this Yard Sale taking place at antwork’s garden in Hamra tomorrow since it will cater for retro lovers.

I know for sure there will be Gameboy handhelds and other old gaming consoles up for sale, in addition to vintage comic books, DVDs, vinyls and others.

The event is all organized by cool people from antwork, Heyoka, and Tell(tale), and will also include some fun activities like a Knefeh eating competition so make sure not to miss it if retro stuff is your thing.

The yard sale is running tomorrow from 11AM till 8PM and the entrance fee is 5,000L.L / pers.

For more information you can check the event on Facebook.

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Awesome Trip Back in Time – Hadi Ramadan Retro Games and Consoles

I was recently looking to buy the original Game Boy (the one from 1989) and my internet search led me to an awesome retro games collector in Beirut called Hadi Ramadan.

I initially saw an ad by him for a used Game Boy on OLX so I contacted him and agreed to pass by his place to check it out, and judging by the other ads he was running on the platform I thought he was selling a few of his old stuff but boy I was wrong! When I reached the location he greeted me and showed me his apartment which has two rooms filled with all kind of consoles and games from the 80s and 90s! Nintendo NES, Super Nintendo, Family Computer, Atari, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Game Gear, All kinds of Game Boy (original, color, advance, etc..) you just name it, a true heaven for retro gamers!

Hadi turned out to be an avid collector who constantly look for old consoles up for sale around the world and gets them to Lebanon with the help of his relatives. He also of course tries to make some extra money by reselling them here but his full-time job keeps him from properly advertising the stuff he has or even just properly organizing them for a suitable display, however he told me he has a plan to soon organize everything once and for all. But for the time being, if you visit his place prepare yourself to dig into several boxes to go through the available devices and game cartridges.

 

What I first thought would be a 10 minutes visit led into me staying over an hour with him going through the old consoles and he even showed me his own private collection. That guy has probably the coolest bedroom by the way with old games and gadgets all over the walls.

Now you probably are wondering about the prices and all I have to say is that he’s quite fair with his pricing. For example he’s selling the original Game Boy for around $50-60 (depending on its condition) which does not vary much from the prices you find abroad on eBay by the way. On the other hand cartridges sell for ~$10 but the price varies depending on the game rarity and whether it’s authentic or not. I personally got the Game Boy I wanted with 4 cartridges for a good price.

If retro gaming is your thing or if you just want to buy back a piece of your childhood then I highly recommend you get in touch with Hadi on 71-727302 and arrange for an appointment since he’s not always available. I embedded below a map showing his place which is located very close to the old airport road, but you can definitely call him for accurate directions.

He’s also planning to organize retro gaming exhibitions in the coming few months so you might want to follow him on Facebook and Isntagram to keep up with his news.

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Old Footage From The Opening of The Beirut-Tripoli Railway in 1942

I’m pretty sure we will never witness something similar to this during our lifetime.

This video I just found on YouTube shows old footage from the opening of the Beirut-Tripoli railway line on December 20th 1942 which was at that time the last link in the Cairo-London line, and you can see the Lebanese president back then Alfred Naccache present at the event (at the 1m56s mark).

This railway was by the way also connected at that time to Haifa in Palestine, but following the Israeli occupation in 1948 and civil war that erupted in Lebanon in 1975, it almost all disappeared except for a small portion that is currently still operational nowadays between Nahariya and Haifa in northern Occupied Palestine. (Source)

As you watch the video you can easily identify Naher El Kaleb at the beginning and probably Jbeil at the 1m10s mark, but it gets difficult (at least for me) to identify the areas that later show.

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Halabi Bookshop – The Modern Bookshop With a Vintage Twist

When I was a kid in the early nineties I recall it was hard for me to find a bookshop near my house that would regularly have my favorite magazines until my father once took me to Abdallah Halabi’s bookshop (Halabi Bookshop) in Jalloul Street. Ammo Abdallah had all my favorite stuff in one place back then, so it didn’t take long until I became a regular customer of his, and going to his shop every Saturday became a habit for me. Moreover, because he also had french publications available, my parents used to regularly pass by him and with time their relationship with him got more personal.

As I grew older though, I eventually stopped getting kids publication and got interested in a specific genre of book that I occasionally buy, however I never stopped passing by his bookshop to greet him whenever I’m in the area.


Abdallah Halabi and his daughter Lana before the renovation. There supposed to be a door behind them! Source

Knowing that Adallah Halabi had a thing for collecting books and publications, starting the 2000’s you couldn’t but notice his bookshop getting tighter every day until it seriously got full a couple of years ago to an extent where you couldn’t even tell if that place even had a door! Every time I passed by I used to see a hint of the vintage stuff he has like old Arabic issues of Superman, Loulou wa Tabbouch, Abir, and others… and always wondered what more interesting books he has piling up inside. For some reason though, I had a feeling the bookshop will close down for good at some point in time and no one will ever have access to the gem inside, especially that I never noticed an effort being made to at least organize the large collections he had.

30 and 40 Year old newspaper issues, not for sale

Fortunately, I was proven so wrong last summmer! Lana Halabi (Abdallah’s daughter) quit her job and put a massive effort into taking out all the old books and magazines stacked inside to properly organize them, in addition to totally renovating the bookshop with the help of her brother Karim. The result was a nice modern look with the old publications adding a vintage feel to the place. That along with some details here and there like a small cool attic, old accessories, and authentic treats they offer to their customer, made the place feel really unique and standing out among its surrounding.

Over the last few years, Al Halabi bookshop’s offering was mostly newspapers and weekly magazines due to the books being inaccessible, nowadays in addition to those you find old comic books in Arabic, French and English neatly hanged outside in addition to rare publication with some dating back to the 1950s and 60s, and they all tempt you to go inside and discover what more do Lana and her father have.

Halabi bookshop during and after renovation

Last week I had the opportunity to speak with Lana and learned that the re-branding of the bookshop didn’t only rely on simply just renovating it, as they have been actively participating in book fairs around the city to showcase their big collection and spread the word about their business. I also asked if the old comics and books are limited to what they currently have which means no more will be available once they’re sold out, and I was informed that aside from all the stuff they still have but are not on display yet, they’re constantly communicating with collectors from several countries in order to get more issues and make them accessible to people in Lebanon.

If you have a thing for books in general I highly recommend you go pay a visit to Halabi Bookshop, first for the welcoming owners who will definitely have endless suggestions for you, and second for the cool feel the place has! Their collection is not limited to vintage publications only as they also have up to date stuff, so you will definitely find something to suit your preferences.

Halabi Bookshop is located in Jalloul street in Tarik El Jadida, and you can check their exact location here on Google Maps. They’re also available on Facebook, twitter, and Instagram, so make sure to follow them to keep up with their news and any event they’re participating in.

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Stunning Silent Mini Documentary of Beirut in 1921

beirut-1921

I’m a sucker for old photos and videos of Beirut and the below two videos I found on medmem.eu are an absolute gem!

The videos are both silent and were taken in 1921 during the French mandate. The first part shows several areas of Beirut like Saint George, Raouche, and The Grand Serail with brief descriptions in between the different scenes. It was quite interesting to learn from that part that a french aviation line used to connect Lebanon to Europe back then  through seaplanes.

beirut-1921-1

On the other hand, the second part focuses on education institutions at that time with scenes showing USJ univerity and Hotel Dieu hospital among others institutes. Towards the end of it you can also see the Patriarch during that time Elias Peter Hoayek sitting between some officials at College du Sacre-Coeur.

I will be searching to check if there are other related video to this documentary and will definitely be sharing them if I found any.

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Lebanon to Participate in The 15,000Km Peking to Paris Challenge

Lebanese-Porsche-356-Peking-to-Paris-3-750x400@2x

I just stumbled upon this article from Biser3a about a Lebanese team participating in the 2016 Peking to Paris motor challenge from June 12th to July 17th.

The first version of this race was held in 1907 from Beijing to Paris when a french newspaper challenged car owners to do it as a proof that a man can do anything and go anywhere as long as he has a car. Since that time, the race was re-enacted 5 times in 1990, 1997, 2005, 2007 and 2013, mostly using vintage cars.

This year, Charbel Habib and Walid Samaha are going to represent Lebanon in this challenge aboard a beautiful classic 1964 Porsche 356 C, and will attempt completing the challenge along with 119 other teams from more than 25 countries. The 15,000Km journey will eventually start in Beijing before the drivers head to Mongolia to cross into Russia and the Republic of Belarus, they will then go through Europe to reach Place Vendôme in Paris at the end.

The Porsche 356 C looks absolutely gorgeous and I found the straps on the front to be pretty cool, I just hope it reaches Paris unscratched!

Lebanese-Porsche-356-Peking-to-Paris-2-1024x683

 

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Beirut through the lens of a Pan Am stewardess in the 60s

This video with highlights from Hong Kong, Beirut, Bangkok and Tehran was compiled by a stewardess called Mary Lou Bigelow throughout her service with Pan American Airways between 1962 and 1964.

You can start watching the part from Beirut at the 7m23s mark with scenes from Beirut Airport, Raouche, Manara, Phoenicia Hotel and water skiing in Saint Georges Hotel.

Everytime I watch an old video of Beirut, I wish I was born earlier to live the golden era of this city!

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Marvel Exhibition at Geek Express

marvel

Here’s some cool news for the superheroes lovers. Geek Express, located in Beirut Digital District, will be hosting the Marvel Exhibition for two weeks starting May 2nd, with over 400 official and rare original items from Iron Man, Hulk, Spiderman and other Marvel comics that will be on display for people to enjoy.

Moreover, if you’re excited about the new Iron Man movie, make sure to attend the opening of exhibition on Thursday at 6:30PM since Grand Cinemas will be awarding each of the first 50 fans to enter Geek Express a free ticket to any showing of Iron Man 3 at any of their theaters.

For more information, you can check Geek Express’ Page on Facebook.

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Interior photos of Amin Maalouf’s house

amin maalouf apartment 4

Habib Battah has some nice photos over at his blog Beirut Report showing the interior of Amin Maalouf’s house in Badaro which is currently being demolished by Kettaneh Group after getting the necessary approval from minster Gaby Layoun.

amin maalouf apartment 1

amin maalouf apartment 2

amin maalouf apartment 3

amin maalouf apartment

I personally have mixed over this whole thing. As much as I hate to see such old houses going, I also feel for their owners who probably can no longer maintain them and could really make use of the money after selling them to some real estate development company, regardless of how ugly the resulting tower will be, and how affordable the apartments will be to the average Lebanese.

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