The Crowning Glory of the Downtown Revitalization Project - The newly refurbished Churchill square featuring the Sir Winston Churchill Bust overlooking the entrance to the Churchill Square.

Freeport, Bahamas – As the Downtown Revitalization Project, (DTP) nears completion, The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) will introduce kiosks for the sale of indigenous Bahamian products as an added attraction to the newly refurbished Churchill Square. This complementary feature is expected to enhance visitor experience not only for tourist, but for locals as well.

The first of the ‘Making it happen’ initiatives launched in 2009, and brainchild of GBPA President, Mr. Ian Rolle; this 3-phase project has now come full circle.  Chairperson for the DTP Mrs. Nakira Wilchcombe, shares how the project has truly begun breathing new life into the Freeport Centre. “We are seeing the fruits of everyone’s hard work and commitment to the project.  More and more of the building and shop owners have come on board to support what is being done.” She states.  “More importantly, this past summer with major events like ‘Rush for Peace’ and the ‘Downtown International Food & Cultural Festival’, we’ve proven that, Downtown is an ideal location for such cultural events!”

As the Churchill Square is just about ready, officials at GBPA hope to make the Downtown Centre a regular stop for tour buses and other organized groups. To this end, adding kiosks for the sale of indigenous Bahamian products was introduced to add cultural flair, breaking up the monotony of the general retail stores throughout the area. It is also intended to enhance the entire shopping and touring experience for tourists and locals visiting downtown. 

A recent public notice by GBPA’s Business Development Department, invited local artisans interested in obtaining one of four (4) kiosks planned for phase one, in the Churchill Square, to submit proposals effectively supporting their business idea for review.

According to Mr. Charles Pratt, Commercial Manager for GBPA with responsibility for The Enterprising Centre, the response from the general public resulted in an oversubscription.   As such, candidates were chosen via an evaluative process by a panel of representatives from The Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation, the Ministry of Tourism and GBPA.  Successful candidates will have their license fee waived for the first year of operation.

“GBPA is pleased with the overall DTP and we are excited about addition of the kiosks,” Pratt shares. “This kiosk initiative demonstrates our commitment to small businesses and, that we are concerned with creating opportunities that will allow small enterprises to sustain themselves moving forward in the immediate and long term future, especially during the current economic climate”, Mr. Pratt continued.

The Enterprising Center is part of GBPA’s Business Development Department and was established in 2008. Its purpose is to provide small to medium enterprises with a variety of resources to improve their prospects for successful, independent operation.

The first phase of the kiosk project is expected to commence in early February.  Persons interested in participating in Phase two, may contact GBPA’s Business Development Department for further details.