Community Highlights: Meet Miray Diner of 4MOON

Voyage Utah

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miray Diner.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hello!

My name is Miray. I am originally from Turkey and have lived in Moab, UT for the last 10 years. I have been interested in hospitality since I was young. I started learning about hospitality in high school and then earned my bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management before coming to the United States. After graduating from University, I wanted to improve my English while also learning about new cultures. I came to the United States with an internship program in 2012.

After a year-long program, I decided to stay in the states. I’ve worked at a few different restaurants and hotels in the last 10 years while living in Moab locally. While I enjoyed the work that I did, I always had a desire to run my own business. I started my entrepreneurial career by opening up a few partnered businesses in the food industry. Opening a souvenir shop had never crossed my mind before but after several years in the restaurant business, I was ready to try something new and exciting.

A friend had suggested looking into opening up a gift shop and after a lot of research, we opened our very first retail store 4Moon. We then bought and took over the Moab Trading Post known as Canyonlands Trading Post. I wanted to create a souvenir boutique where tourists can buy one-of-a-kind souvenirs to always remember their trip to Moab! With this idea, we offer our guests a unique customer experience to remember Moab in the best way.

I love what I do and where I live and I love being able to share that with my customers.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It wasn’t that bad but we have a hard time finding employees to work in our little town. Our biggest challenge is finding employees and keeping them coming to work.

As you know, we’re big fans of 4MOON LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
When I came to the United States, I worked as a server in restaurants for 10 years.

I didn’t actually have any retail experience. But I was not shy to ask around to everyone how to do this business such as other retail owners, friends of friends, suppliers. What makes 4moon unique cuz, we are trying to work with local suppliers and small businesses all over the world.

I spend most of my time finding different items to offer customers, we wanna combine today’s fashion while keeping them Moab/Southwest style.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
We lived by the sea in Turkey, and spending time on the beach with my family is some of my favorite memories. I have a big family. Both of my parents have 5 siblings each, which means a lot of cousins to play and swim with.

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