BARVEN’s market makeover begins with food court expansion

 A vendors’ food court is being rolled out on the Mighty Grynner Highway. The Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors, and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN) says it marks the first phase of a long-awaited overhaul to revitalise the current market site as an “outdoor mall-style commercial centre”. 

BARVEN President Alister Alexander told Barbados TODAY that interest from food entrepreneurs has been high, with vendors already operational and others preparing to join in the coming weeks. 

“We’re building out the food court and already have a number of food vendors on site, with many more applying,” he said. 

The initiative aims to diversify the market beyond its original fresh-produce focus, with Alexander envisioning a mix akin to “Sheraton Mall in our own right”. 

The project builds on BARVEN’s 2020 relocation to the highway, a move accelerated by COVID-19 but initially hampered by poor infrastructure and foot traffic. 

A section of the Spring
Garden Market. (SM)

At the time, Alexander said that the Urban Development Commission (UDC) would oversee the construction of a permanent facility at the site, with support from Export Barbados on a rebranding initiative. He described the project as the “next business level” for BARVEN, predicting a turnaround in vendor fortunes. 

He said vendors were forced to operate in conditions that lacked the customer flow and commercial support they had grown accustomed to in Bridgetown. 

“Some wanted to return to where they were. If you are in the city itself, you have that base of customers,” he said. 

But Alexander noted that the premature relocation helped identify vendors with long-term potential and business discipline. 

“The challenge is good, because it allows those with a business mindset to come into the area,” he said. 

Alexander also sought to give an assurance that BARVEN’s agricultural identity would not be lost, sharing that plans are in motion to reintroduce farmers in a more structured way, with the help of government. 

The site seeks to blend retail, food and agriculture, staying true to BARVEN’s mission of “economically enfranchising” grassroots entrepreneurs, he said. (SM)