In this episode of Meet The Locals, we meet Marco Möller, founder of Möto Rauch & Staub, a popular hangout of Dubai’s bikers, craftsmen and artists.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 My old man used to refurbish everything at home.
00:14 We did not have much money, so we would repair stuff.
00:18 And I think that's where I got it from,
00:19 to work with my hands.
00:21 So I did my studies and my apprenticeships,
00:24 and I met a good friend of mine.
00:25 He took me into the kitchen industry.
00:27 That's how I got to Dubai.
00:29 So I actually came here to help him building a kitchen.
00:32 That was now 18 years ago.
00:34 Later on, I was a technical director for a German firm.
00:37 I got to travel, I got to see many countries,
00:40 and I kind of did not work with my hands anymore,
00:43 for many years.
00:44 I met with an accident that broke my back.
00:48 It was really bad.
00:50 And I was physically down, mentally down,
00:52 and I got my hands on an old motorcycle,
00:55 which I just wanted to restore.
00:56 With satisfaction, you have something
00:59 that's not working anymore, you fix it.
01:00 You give it life again.
01:02 But right after the accident, I was in a bad state.
01:04 But that bike in particular just, yeah,
01:08 put me into a better place.
01:09 Then I decided I want to do this, like, all day.
01:14 Sometime later, my friend said,
01:16 "He has a warehouse that's available."
01:17 I just quit my job because we had that warehouse.
01:21 We started building bikes,
01:23 but there was no plan in the beginning.
01:25 I ran out of money pretty quick,
01:27 and I had lots of help from outside.
01:30 Through riding motorcycles here in Dubai,
01:32 I've met a lot of people, people that became friends
01:35 when I was at my worst.
01:37 Local community coming to help me
01:39 and offer me food or advice or help.
01:42 Lots of friends would say,
01:44 "Why don't you make it a coffee shop?
01:45 "Why don't you have food?
01:46 "Why don't you expand?"
01:48 So we took the next warehouse and built a kitchen.
01:51 It took me about three years to actually build
01:53 the place as it is now.
01:56 But now the community, the people that keep coming here,
01:59 they make it what it is.
02:00 The energy, the vibe you get when you come in here,
02:03 this comes from the people.
02:05 Our community has a lot of artists or creative people.
02:09 We want to grow our community.
02:11 We want to give the stage to musicians,
02:14 also painters or our barbers upstairs.
02:17 So the motorcycle has brought me to people,
02:21 and now those people come to my shop,
02:22 and I love being here.
02:23 So I get to see and meet people every day.
02:26 I get to do what I want to do.
02:27 There's a saying that people buy a motorcycle
02:32 because it makes them feel free.
02:34 That's, I think, how it started with me as well.
02:36 But now I ride because I am free.
02:39 Dubai's my home, and this is thanks to the community.
02:45 I hope to stay longer and to see the community grow.
02:54 (upbeat music)
02:56 ♪♪♪♪♪