Last week the Pepperpot Magazine visited the mining town of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
The team visited the Wismar Municipal Market where they went on a walkabout and interacted with the local vendors to highlight their way of life.
The Wismar Municipal Market is strategically located on Burnham Drive, Wismar, along the shoreline overlooking McKenzie in the background and it is quite a picturesque view.
The establishment is very clean with well-kept and tidy facilities. On its grounds,there are some other buildings housing a barbershop and salons.
This market isn’t a high-traffic place, but the location is good and the vendors eagerly await customers. It is the place to buy locally-produced products, meats, vegetables, fruits and just about anything.
According to the Town Clerk, Bernadette Smith, as a child, the market was once housed in an older building which was destroyed by fire.
However, a new building was constructed and, in 2005, some investments were made to make the market a bit more acceptable for vendors.
Then it became populated and more people took up stalls but the roof has always had a leaking issue due to the design.
Even today, there are leaks and the Mayor and Town Council have been doing what they can to address the issue.
Smith reported that they have two full-time employees on the ground to clean at the Wismar Municipal Market.
She added that from revenues garnered, they do their utmost to keep the market functional, but a lot of stall holders are not paying up their monthly rental.
Smith disclosed that the rental varies depending on if it is a double stall but the standard price is $17 per square foot, which is either $900 or $1700 per month.
She stated that the Linden Mayor and Town Council also manage the McKenzie Municipal Market and they have two staffers, as well.
The Wismar Municipal Market accommodates vendors from all over Linden and it is a place where you can shop in comfort and safety.
No one could tell the exact date of construction of the Wismar Municipal Market nor give a historical background of the place.
The tailor of Wismar Municipal Market
One of the vendors includes Oral Vanganderen, 65, of Amelia’s Ward, Linden and he is one of two tailors there.
Vanganderen reported that he started his operations in the market in 2012 and has been in the tailoring profession for the past 21 years, and he is well-known and liked in the community.
He stated that he does alterations and made to order clothing, suits, pants and work uniforms for both men and women, but he doesn’t do too much work these days.
Vanganderen has an elder brother who is a tailor, and he grew up in the home where they had a sewing machine, and after he learned enough, he decided to take on sewing jobs.
“I finished school and did not know what to do for a job and after I had an interest in tailoring, I took up the challenge to learn as much as I could to earn,’ he said.
The elder is at the market on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 09:30hrs to 17:30hrs.
Vanganderen has taken up another trade and in his spare time, if any, he would repair sewing machines.
From the looks of his shop, it seems he is a neat and tidy person who does excellent work on outfits made to order, keeping his customers satisfied.
Black Boys Barbershop
Black Boys Barbershop is managed by brothers Javel Cort and Jamal Johnson, who have a steady flow of customers, mostly men waiting for their turn to get groomed.
Their shop is a cozy little air-conditioned place outfitted with a high ceiling and a suitable décor to match their personalities.
Cort is from Blueberry Hill, Linden and is the elder of the siblings, who grew up around males in the family who groomed them and they took a liking to barbering at a young age.
“Even though my uncle, who used to cut our hair with line-up never had any formal training, he was good at it, a natural and I always admired his talent and patterned myself after him to become a barber,” he said.
The 36-year told the Pepperpot Magazine that he is married with two children and being a barber entails long hours of work, but it comes with the job.
He started barbering right after exiting the formal school system and has been in the profession for over 20 years.
Meanwhile, Johnson, who hails from Wisroc Housing Scheme, Linden, reported that he is at the barber shop from early morning until late at night, depending on the customer flow.
The father of three added that their barbershop started from a bottom house 22 years ago and as time progressed, their small business grew and they managed to establish a permanent place.
The 29-year-old stated that he takes pride in his job in giving the customers what they came for, the exact cut, line-up or general grooming.
Johnson told the Pepperpot Magazine that barbering is more than just cutting hair; they also play a role in the community. The barbershop is a meeting place for people to exchange light chat about anything or even topical issues.
It was 15 years ago, they built their own barbershop and it is a place where they provide a reliable, good service to customers offering a wide variety of services which include hot towel facials, eyebrow shaping, hair and beard grooming and spray dye of hair.
These brothers are simply the best in terms of their professionalism and they are a jovial duo who’re unmatched when it comes to being talented and challenging themselves to stay on top of their profession with the latest trends in hair and grooming services.
