Bajan Christmas Marketplace launched

A new drive is on to get Barbadians to support more micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

On Friday, officials of the Ministry of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, in association with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, launched the Bajan Christmas Marketplace which will take place over the next three Fridays leading up to Christmas.

The initiative is designed to give entrepreneurs an added avenue through which to reach the population, encouraging residents to buy local.

The first pop-up market, which featured just under 30 small businesses, was located on the grounds of the Warrens Office Complex.

Next Friday, December 4, even more firms will be able to put their items on display, when the marketplace moves to Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, where some 20 entrepreneurs from the last iteration of the $20 Challenge will also have items for sale.

The following Friday, vendors will be at Emerald City and on December 18 they will be in Heroes Square.

Pointing to the amount of “jaw-dropping hardship, financial insecurity and pain” that has befallen many MSME operators over the past nine months, Minister of Energy, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Kerrie Symmonds said it was mainly for that reason that his Ministry had collaborated with other stakeholders to introduce a new opportunity for those in the sector.

Adding that MSMEs needed to be given a chance to flourish, he said: “I really want the Barbadian community to recognise the importance of supporting our own at Christmas time.”

Going further, Symmonds said it was his intention to have the idea of flash retailing become a staple in Barbados, especially at special times of the year.

“The fact of the matter is that it is not always about money. It is also about the opportunities that we create. This is an important example to the rest of the country that if we can create these opportunities we can go a significant way towards solving some of the problems we encounter,” he said.

“My judgement on this is that we need to do it as a year-long thing. So the next phase will be Easter, and then we will look at what can happen during the summer time, and as we go forward we are determined to make this a programme of support for this sector all through the year.”

Symmonds said that for too long there has been a lot of discussion about creating more opportunities, and it was time to stop “the lot of long talk” and start doing.

He also said he wants Barbadians to start seeing vending as a legitimate business.

On Friday, residents had the opportunity to purchase a range of locally made items, including bags, garments, crafts, wines, condiments, oils and beauty products, and food and beverages.

(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)