In his hometown, Mustapha Elkhaloua transformed his passion for the past into a unique project that reflects his deep love for nostalgia. He started collecting products and goods that once adorned shop shelves in the 1970s and 1980s, creating a captivating window into the past. Mustapha Elkhaloua decided to turn his passion for the past and nostalgia into a unique project by collecting old products that once lined shop shelves in the 1970s and 1980s, preserving the memories of an entire generation. Born in 1989 in a small village called Sidi Abdelaziz near Sidi Slimane, a small city in northwestern Morocco, Mustapha has been gathering goods popular in the 1980s. He collects soda bottles, matchboxes, and toys—products that were once an essential part of many childhoods. When visitors step into Mustapha's shop, they find themselves transported back in time more than forty years. The shelves, made of simple wood, are adorned with old packaging in its original colors and designs, while the advertising phrases on the products reflect the marketing style of that era. «I have been fascinated by collecting such items since I was young. In 2010, I found a traditional lamp at a market and bought it. That moment transformed my fascination with old things into a passion for collecting them», he told Yabiladi. «I search for vintage goods in souks across Morocco and visit the owners of old, now-closed grocery stores, hoping to find products they still have». «Among the items I've collected are tin and glass bottles of oil sold in Moroccan markets in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as cans of laundry detergent that once cost just 20 centimes», said Mustapha, who transformed his old family home in Sidi Abdelaziz into a small museum resembling a vintage shop. «I don't collect empty bottles or cans; all the goods I gather are original, full, and unused», he said, noting that each item in his heritage 'tavern' carries a unique story. «For example, I searched for La Cigogne, a local soda, for a long time. In 2023, I met someone who owned a shop that had gone out of business, and when I told him about my collection, he mentioned having La Cigogne bottles. But once he saw my keen interest, he started dodging and stalling», he recalled. «There's a false perception that vintage sodas are worth a fortune, so he refused to sell them to me, hoping to make more money. Eventually, he sold me one bottle and promised to sell the rest later. I kept visiting him for five weeks, and just as we finally agreed on a price, I returned one morning only to find that the shop had caught fire and collapsed». Mustapha was deeply disappointed, but a year later, while visiting Berkane, he posted a video about his collection on social media. Someone reached out, telling him their father had bottles of La Cigogne dating back to the 1980s. He contacted them and bought the entire stock. Mustapha connects with many collectors who share his passion, often bartering with them—trading surplus items for rare finds. He emphasized that his shop, which he has been expanding for the past 15 years, attracts a growing number of visitors, including many Moroccans living abroad who come to relive their childhood memories. Mustapha's shop is not a place to buy goods but a window into the past, offering visitors a chance to reconnect with their memories or discover a lifestyle that was far simpler and quieter than today.
