by Francis Quamina Farrier

On Friday, January 20, 2017 at 4.00 p.m. a new page in the history of the north-eastern corner of Camp Street and South road in Georgetown, was written. It was the official opening ceremony of the Corporate Head Offices of the Citizens Bank, Guyana Inc.; a multi-billion dollar monetary indigenous enterprise.

This brand new structure is the latest in Georgetown’s changing skyline and was referred to by some of the speakers at that ceremony, including President David Granger, as an edifice, as indeed it is. That made my thoughts race back in time and thought of what were the buildings and businesses occupying that junction of the city of Georgetown, over the past century and longer.

In my research, I discovered that as far back as I was able to investigate, there used to be a wooden residence at that double junction; and I’m referring to the latter part of the 1800s and into the early decades of the 20th century. The first commercial business which was established there was a store which sold mainly haberdashery goods. It was established there about 100 years ago.

That did not last for very long, and the premises were occupied as a residence again. But as if the commercial sector was calling, it was again utilized as a Dry Goods store. As the years went by, the Harlequin Family closed that business and established what turned out to be a very thriving and popular bakery – Harlequin’s.
To my mind, that in a way, signaled that a bank would one day be established at that location.
While here in Guyana “cheese” is now the current slang word for money, the older citizens would recall that for many decades “bread” was the slang word for money in the colony of British Guiana. To put bread on the family table, was to have money to buy that food for the members of the household and so money was referred to as “bread.”

There we have it. The Harlequin Bakery which produced some of the best bread (‘bread’) and pastries during those waning years of that colonial era was in fact the fore-runner of the Citizens Bank which now dominates that Camp Street and South Road junction and is the custodian of lots of “bread” or “cheese” if you prefer either term.

But there is more ‘romance’ if you will to this story. During his adolescent years, Clifford Barrington Reis, spent many hours at the Harlequin Bakery, which was owned and managed by a close relative of his.
He happily recalls even sleeping there at times. Could it be that during those sleep-overs young Clifford experienced what the Holy Bible, Acts 2:17 relates? “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”?

Was there ever a vision by young Reis that one day he would be, not sleeping at that city location, but wide awake on the evening of Friday, January 20, 2017, and as the Chairman and Managing Director of a spanking new commercial bank, be delivering the Chairman’s Address in the presence of the President of the nation, the Minister of Finance, members of the Diplomatic Corps and other dignitaries and scores of others, at the official opening ceremony of that bank?

Years from now, will the Hon. Clifford Barrington Reis, CCH, be not an old man, but an elderly gentleman, who will be dreaming dreams of Citizens Banks in every town in Guyana with thriving branches and tens of thousands of valued and loyal customers? Will he dream dreams of Citizens Bank with trillions of dollars in its vaults. Will Clifford Barrington Reis dream dreams of the day when the Guyana dollar will once again be Two Guyana dollars to One United States dollar, as it was when, as a youngster he enjoyed sleep-overs at the popular Harlequin Bakery of the day?

But let’s go forward to the past, if you will. In colonial times, the popular Harlequin Bakery dominated that location for decades. Their bread and pastries sought after by many citizens.
After a lengthy period, it was replaced by the Universal Bookstore which sold a variety of publications including Cook Books – both local and foreign. That bookstore was operated by Guyanese-born Ovid Holder, who had re-migrated from the United Kingdom, where he had resided for many years, and established what turned out to be a very thriving bookstore.

Like the bakery before it, the Universal Bookstore was very successful; so successful that the proprietor Ovid Holder needed a larger space for his operation and moved to a suitable location on Water Street in the downtown commercial district of the city.
Thereafter, that Camp Street and South Road location was acquired by Banks DIH Limited and developed into one of their popular Demico Qik Serve out-lets. Bread was once again made at that Camp and South Road location. The actual building of that renovated structure was enhanced and embellished with clay bricks, which was the construction building material of choice during those early Republican years of Guyana.

Many citizens who preferred the service and cuisine provided by Banks DIH Qik Serve, flocked there. Sundays were special for Family eat-outs; from the mornings when even the popular Guyanese Pepperpot was available as part of the breakfast if so desired. It was as the businesses before it at that location, very successful. And like the Harlequin Bakery before it, quality bread and pastries were produced there. There was also an unusual element to that establishment; there was a dry cleaning section on the upper floor, which also did pretty good business.

At the recent annual Shareholders Meeting held on Tuesday, January 24, 2017, Chairman and Managing Director of Citizens Bank, Clifford Barrington Reis, CCH, related the strides which the bank had made over the past year.
He expressed regret that the Charity Branch on the Pomeroon river in Region Number two, had to be closed due to failing financial fortunes in that area of the country. Reis, however, informed the shareholders that all but one of the staffers from that location, were now employed at the Georgetown branch.

There are Citizens Bank branches at New Amsterdam, Berbice; Parika, Essequibo; Linden, Upper Demerara River; Bartica, Essequibo River and at Thirst Park in South Georgetown.