Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Barbie dolls and action figures, Hot Wheels cars, marbles, stamps, comic books, Tazos disks….we have all grown up collecting something or the other that, even today, evokes nostalgia – a deep sense of belonging to a time that no longer exists.
What began as an innocent hobby has today grown into an industry that is worth billions of dollars, global studies have revealed. One latest research highlighted that the global collectibles market size is projected to reach $422.56bn by 2030.
Bahrain is home to a few antique collectors. One such enthusiast, Hasan Usman, fell in love with music as a teenager. Over the last two decades, he has amassed a treasure trove worth thousands of Bahraini dinars, featuring audio cassettes, CDs, DVDs, video tapes, LPs and more. Western artists like Metallica, AC/DC, Michael Jackson through to the Arab world’s nightingale Umm Kulthum and Bollywood’s Shahrukh Khan – it is a diverse selection.
When the creative entrepreneur observed an interest for memorabilia among his friends and colleagues, he decided to take his passion to the next level and is now the owner of more than 5,000 retro collectibles, which also include old-style stereos, televisions and radios, wood-panelled vintage speakers, film cameras, a turntable, guitars, and music posters featuring yesteryear bands.
The term ‘retro’ is used to describe items from the recent past.
“My father used to bring home VHS movie cassettes all the time, which kindled in me a love for the movies,” the 35-year-old told GulfWeeky.
“While I started collecting the movies during that time, I eventually expanded to include other items. However, this was just a hobby. Around six years ago, during the Covid-19 pandemic, I started an online page for my collectibles and met like-minded individuals who were interested in the items, which spurred me on to take my hobby to the next level,” he added.
Hasan now has a studio, which he established a year ago. It’s a quaint space with a big personality, with endless shelves of musical memorabilia, guitars as decorative wall-hangings and posters adorning the doors, including one of iconic rock band KISS, whose original lead guitarist Ace Frehley died on October 16.
Most of the items showcased are purchases from people or online. On some days, Hasan finds items left outside his studio.
“It is a good feeling, like a surprise or a Christmas gift,” remarked the model-turned-fulltime-collector.
Among all of his prized possessions, the ones closest to Hasan’s heart are the turntable that he bought from a Bahraini gentleman about four months ago and an old-style stereo that he purchased from an Indian shop owner.
“There was this Indian man from Kerala who had more than 500 stereos at his shop in Manama and sold me this piece when he left the kingdom,” Hasan reminisced, adding that he had to wait for almost two months to finally get it.
He explained how sometimes, some owners do not want to part with their antique possessions but might need the money or might be leaving the country. However, he is happy to safeguard these pre-loved treasures until they find new homes.
For more information, follow @retro.bahrain.90s on Instagram.
