US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association
The Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority’s (VIEDA) Enterprise Zone Commission (EZC), in partnership with the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources’ (VIDPNR) Virgin Islands Council on the Arts (VICA), will host the “Made in the USVI” Pop Up Shop on St. John from July 1-10, 2021 during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.
This pop up shop will be open from 10AM to 5PM Monday through Saturday at No. 5F Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI, near to the Loredon Boynes, Sr. Dock (the ferry dock on St. John, USVI) and next to Mooies Bar Monday – Saturday.
The public is invited to purchase products that represent USVI culture or heritage and are made by licensed small manufacturers and artisans in various industries. Products will range from locally-made USVI-themed items to decorate one’s home; fashion items showing U.S. Virgin Islands’ pride; books on USVI history; cookbooks featuring recipes for local dishes; USVI-themed photographs and paintings; self-care items such as body lotions, soaps and scented candles and much more.
The VIEDA will also host a booth at the pop up shop with information on available VIEDA entity programs and services to be shared with the St. Johnian community and other visitors.
“St. Johnians, and others who visit St. John every year during the Fourth of July holiday, will have a significant opportunity to delve into the USVI culture. And the EZC, in its continued partnership with VICA, is looking forward to utilizing another opportunity to support USVI small businesses in their efforts of selling their products in the absence of a brick and mortar storefront on St. John. Special thanks and appreciation to Ms. Theodora Moorehead, an entrepreneur, for offering her property to be used as the site for the 2021 “Made in the USVI” Pop Up Shop on St. John. We are truly excited to have this shop opened on St. John to feature our USVI businesses.”
To help ensure the safety and health of the store’s vendors and patrons during this global pandemic, visitors are required to wear masks, and temperature checks will be taken at the door. Hand sanitizer and a hand-washing station will also be available.
Pop-Up Stores are short-term stores temporarily established in an available space to allow customers to experience products of a business first-hand. According to statistics from Pop Up Republic, a retail marketing database, the pop-up shop industry was valued at $50 billion in 2016. Pop Up stores allow businesses, including start–ups and online businesses, to connect and form relationships with potential customers while business owners “test the waters” of having a brick-and-mortar store.
The EZC, an entity of the VIEDA; and VICA are collaborating in this initiative to assist local, licensed small manufacturers by increasing their opportunities for business exposure and growth in the USVI and outside of the Territory. In 2018, both organizations jointly initiated the “Made in the USVI” Pop Up Shops to assist small manufacturers with locally-made products.
The EZC also launched a “Made in the USVI” Pop Up Shop website in March 2021. Individuals can visit the website and shop for locally-made products at www.madeintheusvi.com. Several businesses are featured on this website that is funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration through a federal grant from the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP). STEP assists small businesses in exporting their products globally. To learn more about this website and the “Made in the USVI” Pop Up Shops, contact Nadine T. Marchena Kean, EZC managing director, at ezc@usvieda.org.
To learn more about the Made in the USVI Pop Up Shop on St. John, contact the EZC by email at ezc@usvieda.org or call 340-714-1700, ext. no. 1811; or VICA by email to vicastt@yahoo.com or call 340-774-5984. The general public is also invited to visit the “Made in the USVI” Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MadeintheUSVI.