My Abu Dhabi: The Emirati woman who built a barbershop empire and helped put the city on the map

Abu Dhabi: When Amal Salah AlBarout told her father she was opening a barbershop, he told her:

"Do whatever you want, but do not come crying if it does not work."

And it worked. Next month Uptown Barbershop celebrates its eighth anniversary. It sits on a mezzanine floor in Abu Dhabi's Al Muroor, where you cannot see it from the main street. Today footballers, NBA players and Hollywood names are its regular customers.

Amal's father was one of the first people to see the barbershop before its opening, and he was so proud of the fact that Amal could have created a space like this.

Yet the barbershop is only one chapter. By day she works for the company behind Yas Island's theme parks and destinations. Before that she spent almost six years abroad selling Abu Dhabi to the world when most people could not place it on a map. And on the side, she co-organises community events, including TEDx edition for young people.

"When people approach me, it is always about the barbershop. But I do a lot of things." she said.

A city that changed in front of her

To understand her, start with the city.

Amal is 39 and grew up in Abu Dhabi, watching it transform. As a child she lived in the heart of the city, and on weekends the family went to Mina Zayed, to the old souk by the port.

"I have a lot of very good memories there."

The Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision was announced, and the whole country took notice. It was all over the news. There was an exhibition where you could walk through the plans: the infrastructure, the projects, what was coming next.

"People were surprised. For me, I wanted to be part of that. But how? I did not know yet."

That question shaped everything that followed.

The path that did not lead to a desk

Amal studied finance at Abu Dhabi University. It was the sensible choice, but by the time she graduated in 2012 she had a clear feeling about what it meant: banking or accounting, behind a desk. She had done an internship, and she knew. "It was not for me"

Then Etihad Airways approached her. The role was in international sales, and it came with a catch. She would have to work abroad.

“I did the interview and got shortlisted." And when she told her father, he asked a simple question: “Do you want this? If you want it, I will support you.”

“I was surprised," Amal said.

She is one of eight siblings, and she is clear about what that moment meant.

“I paved the way for them; I always try to be the best version for them.” she said.

Selling a destination nobody could find

For almost six years she lived abroad, first for two years in Greece, then Melbourne, then New York. Her job as an international sales manager boiled down to one mission: selling Abu Dhabi as a travel destination.

In the early days, that was hard. “Back then Abu Dhabi was not on the map like today. It was always a question mark.”

Her pitch had to start from scratch. She talked about the 2030 vision. She presented Abu Dhabi as a hub connecting East and West.

In New York her remit grew. She looked after the US and Canada, plus India, Germany and the GCC as global markets. “I used to travel a lot.”

What she remembers most is the questions. People asked where Abu Dhabi was. Some genuinely believed Emiratis still lived in tents in the desert. “A lot of people told me, ‘We have never spoken to anybody from the UAE.’” So, she made a decision: “I always tried to leave a positive impression. I represent my country at its best.”

In practice she became a walking book about Abu Dhabi.

Living abroad also changed her. “I was a shy person. I was very quiet. When I was on my own, I had to talk to people.”

Homesickness did not scare her. It reminded her she would be going back.

And the distance made the bond stronger. “Big time,” she said. “I always say Abu Dhabi is the capital of my heart.”

One detail still gives her chills. When she worked in Athens, her laptop wallpaper was always New York. She had no idea she would ever live there. “And I ended up going.”

Back home, into the world of Yas

When her company called her back to the UAE, it was not planned. Etihad had been her first job, and now she had to work out how to navigate Abu Dhabi as a professional.

Then the company Miral came calling.

For years, Yas had been a thread running through her career. In 2015 she was at the Arabian Travel Market when Warner Bros. was promoting its park, and she was invited to the opening. She talked about Ferrari World and the island’s development constantly, always as an outsider. “I never knew I was going to work in the company that looks after the theme parks.”

Then suddenly she was on the team.

“For me, my career path went crazy,” she said. When she joined, Miral had three or four theme parks. Now there are more, and she has worked on the openings of almost half of them.

Now I am the stakeholder

The difference from her airline years was profound. “Before, I was working with the stakeholder. Now I am the stakeholder.”

The proudest part is how the reaction has changed. When she worked for Etihad, people asked where Abu Dhabi was. “Now when you say Abu Dhabi, people know it.”

When international partners visit, she shows them more than the headline attractions. She takes them to the places where Emiratis buy their textiles and to the food they actually eat.

"It makes me proud of how far I have come and that I am part of the development of the city. That is what I always wanted when I was younger.”

How Uptown came to life

Amal had always loved streetwear and sneakers, and her original dream was to open a sneaker store. During her years in New York, she spent weekends in Brooklyn and the East and West Village, where the barbershop is a community institution on every corner. “I had seen it in the movies, then I realised: it is real.”

Back in Abu Dhabi, a friend bought a barbershop and let it sit unused for six months. She offered to help. She designed the concept, chose the type of barbers to hire, and picked the name for the sign. It was a hit.

“You’re good at this. Why don’t you open your own?” he told her

“I’m a woman. How can I open a barbershop?” was her answer.

Three months later she found a space and opened Uptown. For the first six months she was there every single day, unsure whether it would work.

It worked, entirely by word of mouth. The shop still feels like streetwear. The barbers are young and cool, the ceiling is her signature yellow, and stepping in feels, she said, “so New York.”

It is all about community

Ask her what Uptown is really about and she does not just say haircuts. She says community.

“I wanted to create a place where clients walk in and forget everything outside the door. I always tell my staff: you never know what that person in the chair went through today, or what is waiting for them afterwards. Your job is to make sure they feel comfortable and leave happy.”

People come for a cut and stay to talk. Friends bring friends. Some turn up with one person who needs a trim and the rest just hang out. “It is not about making money,” she said.

That attitude extends to her team. She wanted to give young barbers a chance to discover life in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, so she found them herself, searching Instagram hashtags and sending direct messages. “

They probably thought I was a scammer,” she laughed. Most arrived in the city for the first time to work for her, and most are still with her.

Now she hears her barbers telling clients how happy they are here. “I never told them to. It makes me happy from the inside.”

Community beyond the chair

The community instinct that built Uptown runs through everything else she does. Last year she and two friends organised the first TEDx event in Abu Dhabi, with no company behind them, just three friends.

This year, she is a co-organiser of a youth edition for ages 10 to 18, Emiratis and residents alike. The young speakers have to tell their own stories, and experts who work with children are helping them. It takes place on 19 December at the Nabdh Al Falah Community center.

Working with children opened her eyes. Parents tell her they follow her on Instagram. “Somebody is watching. It shows how the younger generation looks up to us.”

Her own discipline is part of the picture. She is up at 5:30, in the gym by 6:15, and at her desk at 9. This year she took on her first Hyrox, after eight weeks of training and losing five kilos to run lighter.

“My goal was just to finish.” She did. Along the way she has joined sports competitions with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

The world is our oyster

What would the quiet girl she once was think of her now? “She would be so proud. I never imagined I would be where I am today. Historically as women, we had limited options. Now the world is our oyster.”

She has been invited to speak at women’s empowerment summits and hopes to spread the message globally.

Her advice to girls with big dreams, especially in male-dominated fields: “Always believe in yourself. If you fail, get up and keep trying. It is going to work in the end.”

And Abu Dhabi? “It is the land of dreams where everything can come true,” she said.