Retailers in Bridgetown are celebrating a brighter-than expected Crop Over, with business leaders reporting improved sales across the city amid an influx of festival-goers and themed events.
Chair of the Bridgetown Revitalisation Committee, Eddy Abed, told Barbados TODAY that, based on conversations with business owners in the city, sales have generally improved compared with last year.
“We found that this year the desire, the demand of those fêtes has been that much more than we saw last year, and it has translated to our stores,” he said. “I also understand from others on the street that they too have seen an increase, perhaps not everybody, but generally speaking this year, I think that most retailers should be happier than what they’ve seen in the past.”
The long-time businessman said the season for retailers began in June with the opening of the calypso tents and early marketing from costume bands.
He acknowledged that not every business will experience the same success.
“There are winners and losers every year. This year might be mine,” he said.
Abed, who also runs the family-owned fabric store Abeds, noted that demand for fabric, trims and party-wear surged this year as revellers prepared for a full calendar of themed fêtes. Morning and evening fêtes, many with specific dress codes, contributed to the increase in activity.
“I saw a theme that I wanted to reproduce and it was well accepted by, you know, persons, customers, and sometimes it doesn’t necessarily work that way,” he said. “You have to look at the number of people out there enjoying Kadooment, and I think this is reality.”
He observed that the strong turnout at parties has become a reliable gauge of public interest and spending power during the festival.
“The fêtes seem to be the barometer now of how well the season is going, and I can’t think of one fête that didn’t do well,” Abed said.
But he also pointed out that the shift in consumer demand has contributed to a decline in traditional cultural bands.
“This year we only have 20 bands that are facing Grand Kadooment, which I would think that probably five to eight of them are not going to be judged, which suggests that they are just that, you know, jump and wine bands, and this is because we’re all market driven, you know. This is a business now and the bandleaders will not put out a product that they cannot sell, and they’re very, very wary of that.”
He suggested the best indicator of how the festival performed overall will come from event organisers.
louriannegraham@barbadostoday.bb
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