The empowered West Watooka entrepreneur
Sharon Garraway in her kitchen
Sharon Garraway in her kitchen

WHEN it all seemed impossible for Sharon Garraway to start over she surprised everyone with her strong will to succeed and over time established her own small business — as a single parent. The mother of two told the Pepperpot Magazine that following a failed marriage after many years, she returned home to West Watooka, to start afresh.

She was living in McKenzie, Linden and knew she had to start somewhere to make her mark in life. Garraway reported that she started out with very little and struggled over the years to make her small business into what it is today. Sharon’s Snackette became a reality eight years ago and it is located at the head of the access road to the village.

A smiling Sharon Garraway

All cooking is done at the snackette which has a kitchen and counter space for a showcase and a detached building where adequate seating accommodation with wooden tables awaits customer in-house dining. Sharon’s Snackette is at the perfect location which overlooks the Demerara River and it is very scenic and has wooden benches outside to sit and relax.

The place also has a washroom facility with potable water and it is a clean and well-kept environment. Garraway makes two meals for lunch daily and on that day she was preparing stewed trout with rice and vegetable rice with baked chicken.

All meals are prepared from scratch at her kitchen in the snackette and noted that her customers keep coming back for the service and the taste, the deliciousness of the dishes. The 45-year-old is perhaps one of the friendliest you will ever encounter and she always wears a smile, no matter what kind of a day she is having.

With her children all grown up, her son is a detective with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) attached to the Guyana Police Force and her daughter, is a young mother, who recently had a baby.

Garraway is a grandmother of two, who has started a kitchen garden with her son-in-law. “Having my own small business feels good because this is what I wanted and worked to achieve it; and I don’t have to sit and depend on anyone because I am earning, no matter how small a profit but at the end of the day it is mine,” she said.

She reported that she can adapt to being independent and taking care of herself because, she was exposed to work at a young age with her parents on their farm. Her father is from the Pomeroon while her mother is from up Demerara River, a place called Mora. Unfortunately, they have long passed on and she has seven siblings.

Garraway stated that she grew up in West Watooka and it is home; a place where she feels comfortable despite challenges. The small business owner handles the cooking alone and if the business expands, she may have to employ others but for now it is making steady strides despite business being a bit slow.

Sharon Garraway’s Snackette (Carl Croker photos)

“Economically people are not doing well but they are trying to make ends meet with what they have, so some days things are okay while, on others, it is not so good but trying is better than giving up,” she said.

Garraway pointed out that she would leave her home on Hill Top, West Watooka and make her way to her snackette to start cooking for lunch from 07:00hrs and when she is finished cleaning and the cooked foods are sold out she would leave even if it is after lunch.

She has had the business for the past eight years and is optimistic that her small business will continue to grow.

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