Construction to Begin on Revamped Outdoor Market for BARVEN on Mighty Grynner Highway, Completion Expected by 2025

Construction of a revamped outdoor market for the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors, and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN) on the Mighty Grynner Highway is poised to begin, with plans for completion by 2025, the organisation’s leader has told Barbados TODAY.

Alister Alexander, president of BARVEN, announced that the project aims to revitalise the site on the Mighty Grynner Highway, addressing issues vendors have faced since relocating from Cheapside in 2020.

“The market at the Mighty Grynner Highway is going to be that next business level,” Alexander declared. He explained that the original plan for an upscale vending facility was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a premature relocation.

“We were always anticipating certain competitive challenges if we did not have the right infrastructure in place when we moved. COVID forced us into challenges we did not want to be in,” he added.

The lack of proper facilities along the highway has negatively affected sales over the past few years, despite an expansion in vending during the pandemic. BARVEN, formed to preserve traditional vending, has long aimed to provide suitable infrastructure for its members.

In a bid to boost patronage and sales, BARVEN is collaborating with Export Barbados on a rebranding initiative. Alexander praised the agency’s CEO for their work in reimagining Pelican Village, expressing enthusiasm for a similar transformation of the BARVEN market.

“BARVEN is predicting a great turnaround in the fortunes of its market,” Alexander said, citing support from the administration for this grassroots sector. “BARVEN is predicting that the pioneering venture there will make history.”

The Urban Development Commission (UDC) will oversee the construction of the new facility, according to Alexander.

The announcement comes as welcome news to vendors who have long voiced concerns about the lack of foot traffic in the area. Recent decisions, such as moving the Bridgetown Market—a key Crop Over festival attraction—back to its original Broad Street location from Spring Garden Highway, had generated unease among vendors reliant on the festival for their annual income.

BARVEN is hoping that the new facility will reinvigorate interest from both residents and tourists, providing a much-needed boost to entrepreneurs.