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Nicolas Nyamari was born and raised in Mombasa, a beautiful town on the East coast of Kenya. He worked there as a trader running a stall in the local market, selling goods his friends and family crafted by hand. After the unfortunate bombing at a local hotel, tourists stopped visiting the market and his business died. Soon thereafter he caught a bus to Cape Town (South Africa) in 2002. The bus had to travel through Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique before reaching Cape Town 12 days later!
When Nicolas arrived in Cape Town, he needed to find a job quickly as he had very little money for shelter or food. He managed to earn a living as an informal ‘car guard’, basically asking for money in return for watching people’s cars to ensure they were not vandalised. After doing this for 6 months, he saved enough money to purchase a few products and secure a stall at Greenmarket Square, where he then started trading.
It has been 17 years now since he first started trading at Greenmarket Square. He employs two people to assist him running the stall and indirectly supports another 10 craftsman who sell him their trade. His brothers and sisters in Kenya also sell their products to Nicolas.
“Through Moja, I found a way to extend the reach of my trading business beyond Greenmarket Square, connecting with customers globally and continuing to share the craftsmanship of my friends and family from Mombasa.”
Nicolas has always felt that it was God’s plan for him to be a trader. He loves meeting new people and is very proud of his stall and the high quality of his African products.