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The shell-lover
One would have thought shells were hard to find in Mauritius since collecting them on beaches is prohibited. A glance at Michael’s place in Trou-aux-Biches will prove you wrong! His garage that he uses as a workshop smells of the sea and has shells all over the place.
Shells constitute his livelihood as well as that of a few relatives and friends. His wife, his niece, his brother and two friends - even his children give a hand after school or during weekends - are involved in the business: they make a range of objects from imported shells. From lamps to ashtrays as well as simple decorative shells, there is everything to provide tourists with a little souvenir from Mauritius.
“Mauritians are starting to be interested in the products too. As I also do engraving, there is something in it for everybody. But no doubt my main customers remain tourists.” Michael Momine places his products for sale in shops all around the country and particularly in l’Argonaute. Michael worked in l’Argonaute’s workshop for fifteen years. When the latter closed, he started his own business but he still supplies the shop with his products. Hotels also sell his products in their boutiques and this seems to be working.
Customers can visit the workshop. “When tourists come to see our products, we are sure they will buy. First of all, we are the only ones manufacturing such products in Mauritius. Then, they can see us working and like to see that the products are all hand-made,” Michael boasts.
Michael orders his shells from an importer. Tigris, murex or turbo, to mention a few, arrive in a dirty state and have to be cleaned thoroughly: they are soaked and brushed with a special machine. Then, they are cut or filed down depending on the object created.
The workshop does not have fixed working hours. They depend on the work and the stage of production. Sometimes Michael and his wife work until 8 pm. Michael has passed on his passion to his wife: “The work is so interesting that there are days when we do not want to stop,” she confesses. But they can finish by 2 pm when they have varnished their products, which must be left to dry with no dust around.
Michael who says he “has always been a shell-lover”, has a few plans for the future. The main one is to open a shop or have a contract with a hotel to display and sell his products. Those interested take note!
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