First Look: New Coburg Community Space Dukkana Opens Inside an Old Lebanese Grocer

There’s an honesty to Dukkana that reveals itself almost immediately. The shelves aren’t organised to maximise sales, and nobody is waiting to ask how long you’ll be staying. Instead, the Coburg community space invites visitors to settle in among books, handmade embroidery and well-worn furniture, where conversation unfolds naturally and the simple act of spending time together is considered reason enough to walk through the door.

Housed inside the former Lebanese grocer owned by their father, sisters Safa, Emina and Fatima El Samad have transformed the space into a community hub celebrating Arab creativity, storytelling and culture. Workshops, artist talks, exhibitions and reading groups sit alongside quieter moments, with visitors welcome to browse a bookshelf or spend an afternoon doing very little at all.

“We wanted to create a space where people didn’t have to earn their right to be here,” says Safa. “You don’t need to buy something. You don’t need to justify taking up space.”

That philosophy is reflected in every corner. Rustic, warm and unpolished, Dukkana feels less like a venue and more like someone’s home. The sisters’ individual creative practices are stitched into the fabric of Dukkana too. From here Safa runs Soof, an embroidery studio dedicated to breathing new life into preloved garments through intricate flash embroidery. Throughout Dukkana you’ll find Emina’s archival book collection, The Great Book Return, inviting visitors to browse rare and out-of-print works by Arab writers. And Emina’s handmade leather journals and personalised keyrings sit alongside a curated collection of thrifted finds, reinforcing the idea that Dukkana is as much a home for makers as it is for the community that gathers around them.

The sisters say Dukkana was born from a desire to challenge the idea that community spaces must be driven by consumption. “We’re constantly told that every space has to make money,” says Emina El Samad. “We wanted to ask what happens if a space exists to look after people first.” 

That thinking has resonated well beyond Melbourne’s Arab community. Since opening, Dukkana has become a place where artists, neighbours and curious visitors gather simply to exist without expectation. It’s hosted World Cup viewings, poetry nights, craft workshops, fundraisers, and markets with stalls from Cakehouse Collective and Sugarmammiii.

In a city where so much of public life revolves around cafes, restaurants and retail, Dukkana offers another option. It’s a place built not around transactions, but time. Around sharing stories, preserving culture and making room for one another. Perhaps that’s what makes it feel so special. Nothing here asks you to consume. It simply asks you to come in.

Dukkana

99-101 Harding Street, Coburg

No phone

Hours:

Thu to Sat 11am–6pm

@dukkana.hardingst