You can find an array of souvenirs and gifts at Moab Momento, 72 S. Main St., including cards and prints by local artist Serena Supplee – known for her colorful oil paintings of the Colorado Plateau.
Moab Momento also carries Navajo wood carvings, African baskets, candles, a wide collection of T-shirts, plus numerous Moab-related trinkets such as posters, magnets and sandstone coasters. Additionally, the shop sells three-dimensional puzzles of various types of vehicles – including trucks, jeeps, airplanes, trains, and tractors – puzzles that resemble models after the laser-cut pieces are fitted together.
Whether you’re camping or staying in town, you might want to try Moab Momento’s Camp Cocktails. Just add the liquor of your choice to various flavored cocktail mixtures infused with ingredients like hibiscus, gingerroot, lemon, and hibiscus-infused non-GMO vegan cane sugar. A Camp Cocktails set makes eight craft cocktails.
“We try and carry unique things other stores don’t have,” owner Amer Tumeh said.
Before opening the business, the Tumeh family remodeled the storefront, tore out the carpet, installed wood-like floors, and poured and finished a new concrete counter. “People love the feel of the store’s layout,” Tumeh said. “It’s peaceful, organized, and open.”
His vendor Supplee appreciates the interior, too. “Moab Momento has beautifully displayed their items with an eye for flow & detail,” she said. “The flavor of Bluff is there.”
Tumeh opened the shop with his late wife Cindy and their son Tarrick in March 2020. Two days later the store was shut down for two months due to the pandemic. The shop reopened May 15, 2020.
Tumeh is an electrical engineer by trade who used to design hyperthermal equipment to treat cancer; Cindy worked in marketing for Fortune 500 companies. In 1991, after the couple became tired of the “politics of corporate America” they moved to Bluff, where Cindy grew up and together they opened Desert Rose Resort and Cabins.
Tumeh continues to spend his time between Bluff and Moab while running the two businesses. Tarrik is currently in Arizona learning to be a helicopter pilot, with intentions of becoming a Life Flight pilot performing search and rescue work, his father said.
Amer and Cindy met while studying at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. They were married for 31 years before she passed away in October from a rare heart condition.
“This was her dream,” Tumeh said. “She loved doing it. So, I’m going to keep it going for now.”
If you’re interested in working at the shop, contact Tumeh – he’s hiring!
Moab Momento is open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
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