Miguel Ángel Araujo has run the business founded by his father in 1963 since 1984. The shop, on Iglesia Street in Los Boliches, has evolved from electrical installations to household appliances and now primarily serves Finnish customers.
The Eléctrica Araujo shop, located on Iglesia Street in Los Boliches (Fuengirola), is much more than a store: it is a witness to the transformation of the neighbourhood and the way people shop. Founded in 1963 by Miguel Ángel Araujo's father, who came from Seville, the business has now celebrated 53 years of history. What began as an electrical installation workshop gradually became a reference for the sale of household appliances in the area.
Miguel Ángel Araujo, who took over in 1984, explains that the current premises, in the heart of Los Boliches, were built on what used to be two fishermen's huts. One served as a shop and the other as a warehouse. Over the years, additional floors were added: the ground and first floors are now for display, while the upper floors serve as storage and offices. However, the family spirit has remained intact.
“Life has always been here in the shop,” summarises Miguel Ángel, who grew up among household appliances and customers. He fondly remembers Christmases in the 1970s when people began setting aside gifts in September and the day of the Three Kings was chaotic: “My mother would bring down sandwiches, and the shop would stay open until dawn; people would come to collect gifts when the children were asleep.”
The business has also been a pioneer in the life of the neighbourhood. Miguel Ángel proudly recounts that his father, along with two other businessmen, organised the first Three Kings parade in Los Boliches. The Three Wise Men rode in local merchants' vans, and the neighbours dressed as pages. “That was in the super-famous village,” he recalls.
The evolution of commerce has not been linear. In the 1980s, when Miguel Ángel worked at the Central Bank, he would help his father in the shop in the afternoons. Until in 1984, he decided to leave banking and dedicate himself entirely to the family business. At that time, Eléctrica Araujo still did electrical installations, but the construction boom and lack of workers led the family to focus 100% on household appliances.
To compete with large retailers, they joined a regional buying group along with other Málaga businesses. This allowed them to maintain competitive prices and a close service that, according to Miguel Ángel, remains their best asset: “Word of mouth is the best advertising.”
The neighbourhood has changed a lot since those years. Miguel Ángel remembers Los Boliches as a fishing village, where the railway was just a mound and the promenade bore little resemblance to what it is today. “You would cross the road and the beach was right there,” he says. Over time, English tourism arrived, and later, the large Finnish community, which has completely transformed the commercial life of the area.
Today, most of Eléctrica Araujo's customers are Finnish. “The Finnish association is very important to us,” explains Miguel Ángel. In fact, the customer profile has changed: they used to be lifelong neighbours, now they are Nordic residents looking for quality appliances and trustworthy service.
Despite the competition from the internet and large chains, Eléctrica Araujo continues to thrive. Miguel Ángel is clear: the key lies in personalised attention and the trust generated by a business that has seen several generations grow. “People come here because they know we will give them good advice,” he asserts.
The business remains family-run: of the five siblings, four are in the shop. Last year, Francis, one of them, passed away, which was a hard blow. But the family remains united, keeping alive the essence of that first shop on Iglesia Street.
For anyone wanting to learn about this piece of Fuengirola's history, Eléctrica Araujo is still open on Iglesia Street, right in the heart of Los Boliches, with the same hours as always and the same philosophy: to serve customers as if they were family.
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