City store closures overshadow Independence decorations, says Abed

A wave of vacant shopfronts on Broad Street risks dampening the spirit of Independence celebrations in Bridgetown, with a leading City merchant warning that empty stores — not apathy — are to blame for a lack of patriotic displays.

“Saying that stores do not celebrate Independence is not true, but there is nothing larger than Christmas,” said Eddy Abed, the head of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce’s Revitalisation of Bridgetown Committee.

The fabric store owner called for a clear-eyed examination of Bridgetown’s changing retail landscape, suggesting that declining fortunes, rather than a lack of patriotism, were the reason for the decline in displays.
“Vacant stores cannot show Independence or Christmas decorations because they are unoccupied,” he told Barbados TODAY.

He added: “Christianity has been around for 2 000 years, Independence has been around for 59 years. So let us put it into that perspective. Having said that, the business community is very patriotic and you will see many stores in Bridgetown have dressed their stores in national colours, whether it be bunting, whether it be blue, gold, and black draped in their stores, or some have used lights to do the same. The reality is that at the same time we are showing our national colours, we are also showing Christmas celebrations, and the two must be read as what they are. They are two distinct celebrations that will coexist. So it is not that one is more important than the other. That should never enter the fray.”

Recalling the days when Broad Street was awash with patriotic displays during the month of November, Abed said that more than half of its retail stores now lie vacant.

He said: “You have to be careful with what you are comparing. If you go back to the iconic days when you had the DaCostas, Cave Shepherd and Harrisons. We no longer have that. It has changed. That type of trade has moved out of Bridgetown, into the out-of-town malls where larger enterprises now exist.”

Many store owners were now opting for a minimalist look in decorations, regardless of the holiday, he declared.

“The type of look towards celebrations has moved towards minimalism. Instead of being draped in all the shiny red, gold and green, it has become very minimalist, with areas that have a puff of colour to give a sense of the celebration, and that is it. We have moved with the times, and it is not only Barbados but in other countries around the world. So if you compare it to what we were accustomed to 20 or 30 years ago, it is different, but please do not see it as store owners not participating. They are, but they have just moved on with the times.”

Abed was responding to Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams who last week encouraged businesses to participate in Independence celebrations.

Abrahams stated at that time: “Businesses will look at their bottom line, and people can’t wait to get their Christmas activities going. We as a government can only do what we can. We encourage the media and the radio stations to play a majority of Barbadian music, especially in the last two weeks up to Independence. But quite frankly, we cannot control a person’s level of participation.”

Noting that the issue with the two celebrations is one that has arisen regularly, Abed acknowledged that people must not take the standpoint that one is more important than the other, but consider that the two can coexist, and that is also an option that many business owners are taking.

(JB)