The couple Tahrir Abu Shab and Ayman al-Shami turn old wooden pieces into dazzling art forms. Their hobby becomes the main source of income for them, in the town of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The hobby was originally the passion of Faraj Abu Shab, the father of Tahrir, but the daughter mastered it and started small carpentry with her husband next to their house to help them provide for their three children.
Tahrir (32) and her husband Ayman (36) did not find a stable job or a temporary opportunity after graduation from the university, so they thought to have their own project.
They borrowed a sum of money to buy some simple machines and equipment necessary for the work. In 2012, they actually started working, and they found acceptance from customers and neighbors, which motivated them to continue and to launch an online store called "Sham" for their wooden products.
In 2017, a foundation that supports youth projects gave an amount of money that helped them buy some other machines needed to work.
They make of wood, chairs, vases, pieces of furniture, frames, small medallions, gift sets, flower basins, garden and house decorations, short tables, and other things.
"We faced a number of difficulties, including power cuts for eight hours a day, marketing, and financial shortage at the start of the project," the couple said
They market their products through points of sale in commercial stores, in addition to their reliance on social media, and the delivery of goods to the addresses of customers.
In the future, the couple aspires to open a special store for their products, especially gifts, and to start a project of manufacturing doors.
