FOR over two decades Irene Kingston, 43, from the East Coast of Demerara has made ends meet by making and selling ‘pointa’ brooms. She plies her trade mainly in Georgetown, but also does some of her business in other villages on the East Coast, though hardly in the village where she lives.

Her day begins at 05:30hrs, when offices have not yet opened their doors. “This is my ‘office’ and the job pays for all my expenses,” she says.

SINGLE PARENT
“As a single parent, I start off by having my devotion with my three girls; have them start their little household chores…loose the fowls and feed them; water the plants in our little kitchen garden, as well as the plants for our home – I love plants; do what little household chores they have to do and then prepare for school,” Kingston told the Pepperpot Magazine . She went on to say that her girls are still in secondary school, and that she takes their education very seriously.

She says that nothing will stop her from doing everything possible to help her children since she feels as if she is both mother and father for them.

PLYING THE TRADE
Kingston said that she would travel to Georgetown at least three times every week to sell the ‘pointa’ brooms, which she makes herself, “by stripping off the leaves from the branches of the coconut trees, leaving the ‘pointa’ alone, which is then turned into brooms.”

She explained that even though sometimes she gets really tired she would still walk through street after street in selected areas to get her ‘pointa’ brooms sold. “I feel very sad when I have to carry brooms back home – I rather reduce the price just to get them off my hand and not have to carry them back home,” Kingston said.

SOME CHALLENGES
She explained that though it looks like simple work, sometimes it can become really hard because some branches are harder to “strip”, leaving your hands feeling sore and tender, with bruises and small cuts – so it is very painful at times.

“Then some branches do not have as much ‘pointa’ or they are very small or thin, so you have to use a whole set to get the desired amount to make a big enough broom for people to accept. They tell you plain: ‘That small, small thing?’ and they refuse to buy it or want to beat down your price,” Kingston explained.

She also said that the rainy season offers some further challenges since it is difficult to cut branches when they are wet and heavy with water. Again, stripping off the ‘pointa’ becomes a bit more difficult and somewhat discouraging to pursue.

“However, this is where my kitchen garden, as well as fowls come in. They help out greatly because I usually sell greens and eggs; sometimes I even sell a few fowls (chickens),” Kingston said.

GOOD BUSINESS
“As simple as it is and with all the challenges, this business had enabled me to pay a rent for years, until I was able to get a piece of land from my grandfather and from this very business I worked even more hard and now have my own house,” Kingston said.

She related that because her grandfather saw how hard she was working – making a lot of sacrifice- he called her one day and told her that he felt that she deserved a break in life and that he was giving her a piece of land at a good spot in the village, so that she could live a comfortable life.

“I cried and gave my grandfather a big hug. I really, really thanked him because this was the best thing anybody ever did for me in my whole life. Then I promised grandpa that I would not disappoint him; that I would continue to work hard and put up a decent house on the land, and so I did,” Kingston said.

INTRODUCED TO THE BUSINESS
“I was introduced to this business by my aunt, who did it for many years. Though the idea was not appealing at first because my aunt did not do too well – living and dying in an old, dilapidated house that was never painted, I still gave it a try. I really had very little choice,” she said.

However, she says that she is now a happy woman and proud of what she was able to accomplish. She said that the business has been able to sustain her, as well as helped her to maintain her children and even provided a roof over their heads. Furthermore, I have now developed a network of customers who would take brooms from me regularly. At the same time, I also scout for new customers.

The woman explained that the business of making and selling ‘pointa’ brooms – like many other businesses needs the determination to go from street to street calling out, “pointa broom!” In some places, you need to convince people (mostly ladies) to buy a broom. “However, over the years many have come to understand that it is the source of my daily bread and so they buy, even if they would put it up,” says Kingston.

She said that at the end of each day, most times she can look back with delight, knowing that her day was well spent; that while she is her own boss, she is also a ‘hard taskmaster’ to herself. “If you cannot discipline your own self, you will not get very far in life,” she assured.