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If you’ve ever walked into a Dubai home and admired every detail or found yourself asking “Where did you get that gorgeous light/table/vase from?”, chances are they got it from Home and Soul. Offering a curated edit of the most beautiful interiors and textiles from around the world, Home and Soul has become a Dubai institution and the go-to store for the city’s chicest homes. And it wouldn’t exist without Carol Sukkar, who opened its doors nearly a decade ago.
Born and raised in Jordan and of Palestinian descent, Carol grew up inspired by her grandfather, who gave her the drive to go out into the world and do something of her own. Today, she’s the life and, well, soul behind Home and Soul.
As part of GRAZIA’s Career Edit, Carol Sukkar shares with us her career journey and aspirations.
My current role is…
CEO of Home and Soul, which I’ve been running for the last nine years
When I was younger I wanted to be…
A business owner. I grew up around entrepreneurship. My grandfather was an entrepreneur – he owned the Fine hygienic paper and tissues. I wanted to be like him. He’s not alive today, but he’s still my role model. My parents got divorced and I stayed with my mum, so he was like a dad to me. I visited the factories and saw how he managed people, how he grew the company, how he did it. I wanted to be like him. I was very inspired.
My favourite subject at school was…
Math. I loved math and used to teach my friends.
My first job was…
As a student, I got a part-time job at Matrox Electronics in Montreal. I did sales, so I answered the phone and emails to customers, which I really enjoyed. I felt that “wow” feeling. I had a job, I was a student and I funded myself. It was important.
My career path so far has been…
After Matrix Electronics I went back to Jordan. My grandfather wouldn’t let me stay in Canada – he wanted me to work with the family. I didn’t like it, but I had to do it. I stayed with them for three years doing office work and going to the factory before deciding that I wasn’t learning. So, I asked for his approval about coming to Dubai. He refused, so my uncles had to convince him. Eventually, he agreed, but it was very hard for him. He saw me becoming the CEO or the manager of one of his businesses as he was present in a lot of GCC countries.
So, that brought me to Dubai, where I started working for Cisco doing their marketing, events and Google ads. I also did Gitex, which I enjoyed so much. I did that for eight years and then left to have my first child. I found out I was pregnant with my second on my first day back at work. I felt so bad and didn’t know how to tell them, but my husband was really supportive – we hadn’t planned for that to happen. I managed to keep it a secret for a few months but then my team started seeing me getting bigger, so I had to tell them. I worked until my due date and delivered both my kids in Canada.
After my four-month maternity leave period was up, my department had closed, so I got to be at home and enjoy my two boys. That’s when I brainstormed, and when my second child was two years old, in 2015, I started Home and Soul.
The role the UAE has played in my career is…
The UAE has given me a great opportunity to open my own business, especially given I’m an expat. It gives you the platform to open and have a license. Back in the day, you had to have a local partner, which luckily, we found. They changed the rules so now you can have your own names on the license, so we’re independent.
I can’t imagine opening a business anywhere else, even in Jordan. It’s very tough. In the UAE the customs are very reasonable at 5%, whereas in Jordan it’s 35%, which is very high.
I was inspired to enter into the interiors space because…
My biological dad owned a store in Jordan. He had brands like Wedgwood and Royal Doulton and was the exclusive reseller. I enjoyed going to his store every summer, wrapping gifts and assisting clients. I have a picture of myself in that store by the cash desk – it was my childhood growing up in the store.
After I had my kids I helped my dad, travelling with him to trade shows and ordering items. I tried to get him to revamp his store and to get more trendy things in. Wedgwood and Royal Doulton are things you buy and keep in a cupboard. My dad eventually closed his store, and my mum inspired me to do something on my own. So, I went to Paris and became the exclusive reseller for Blanc D’ivoire in Dubai, and that was the name of my first store. A year later, they emailed me and told me they were closing, which was like a slap in the face as I’d just started the business. I had just rented a commercial villa with a five-year rental agreement. But no one was going to stop me, so that’s when I created Home and Soul.
My daily routine consists of…
I’m an early riser and wake up around 5-5:30. I love to spend half an hour with my kids before they go to school. We laugh and talk about the day ahead. Then I do a workout, shower and have my breakfast with my partner, where I run things by him and get approvals, as he has his own job.
I’m at the store by 8 am and check emails and do admin before the day starts. Then I have my morning huddle with the team, which we recently started doing. We have a nine-minute catch-up, all together. It gives me the knowledge of what I need to help them with.
When I’m not greeting and assisting customers, I manage deliveries in the warehouse. I could be ordering new products, working on Google or working on the website. I end my day around 4.30-5 pm. At home, I spend time with the kids and don’t check my email or my phone. It’s on silent, and I give them that hour. Then they’re off to their activities. By 6 pm I’m walking my dog, which I love when the weather is good. Now I’m walking on the treadmill because it’s so hot. Then I have my wind down time by 8 pm when the kids are home. I’m in my PJs, ready to sleep – sometimes before the kids! I’m in bed by 9-9.30, and I might fall asleep while watching TV…
My role as Co-Founder entails…
I manage the team and assist customers. I try to imagine myself in their home and see what they would need and how we can decorate their home in a way that makes them feel calm and at peace within their environment. I also work on the website and Google, so there’s a lot of technical stuff, which I’m learning as I go. There’s lots to do online, especially with more people moving online rather than visiting a store. What makes us different is that I’m in the store assisting clients. They always want my advice because I’m the owner, and not every store offers that.
The biggest hurdle I have experienced in my career…
Changing the name of the store. When I was faced with the fact that I couldn’t run Blanc D’Ivoire Dubai, I had to order from 10 suppliers instead of one. The other hurdle was when we had to have our own warehouse. We were given no advance notice that we had to move our stock from the one we were using. I managed to get us some more time, but there were a lot of negotiations, which thankfully my husband helped me with. I had no clue about opening a warehouse. What is racking? What is a warehouse manager? What is shelving? It was very, very hard, but I feel so accomplished that we have our own warehouse, and we are so much more efficient.
The biggest milestone I have achieved is…
Opening a store, finding a villa to rent and doing the whole interior of it. I had to build bathrooms, toilets, flooring, electricity, AC, lighting, you name it.
A quote I live by is…
Marketing is everything and everything is marketing.
What I hope for 2024 is…
To have an efficient website and work on expanding our product portfolio to reach more customers in UAE. I hope to target businesses like cafés, restaurants and hotel apartments.
Saudi is on my list, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for it. I feel like I should tick the boxes in UAE first and then think of Saudi…
