During our two years here, I wanted to buy a metal light fixture. My friend T. had one and I secretly coveted it. There's really one place in Rabat that sells them, and they're not cheap. We're told the best metal work comes out of Fez, so I had been pricing the small chandeliers for years, trying to figure out how much a good price is. With only one shop, it's hard to get a good idea.
With our tour guide we stopped in a large shop where nothing was under 4,000dirhams. We walked out thinking it wasn't going to happen. But then, while walking blinding through the medina we happened to see this shop.
La Touch de L'artisant 21 Derb Sidi Ahmed Chaoui (En face Dar Al Chabab) - Fez
phone number: 0661 48 53 77 or 0672 72 71 58
Our guide was very upset at his prices. Turns out guides make a 15% commission if they bring in customers. Just before finding this shop, our guide offered to take us to a 'friends' shop to find affordable metal works. Our guide told us it was a cultural tradition to bargain and start with prices twice as high. He called Adyel, the shop owner, a 'bad' Moroccan for not making us bargain. It took me a few days to digest his comments. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this, and as I left the shop I thanked Mr. Adyel for his honesty, and for giving us a fair price from the start. I told him, that I appreciate his business, and I think he'll be very successful if he keeps his prices real.
Ahhh...I love these! They remind me of the old 70's style swag lamps that I just love. So where are the pics of the actual ones that you bought? I wanna see!
ReplyDeleteAlso, Good for Mr. Adyel for being a true down to earth human being and not gouging your eyes out for his work. He will make more money in the end because you are referring him :)
The guide on the other hand, probably won't get many referrals from those, like yourselves, who are just asking for honesty and a fair price while he is leading the way.