Mahogany Street Marketplace Brightens Up Saint Martins

St. Martin’s de Porres area just got a little bit brighter with the official launch of the Mahogany Street Marketplace. Over the last few months, over twenty booths on Mahogany Street have undergone a transformation meant to boost attractiveness and security. The project was launched by the Belize Tourism Board in 2022 and plans to extend its efforts into 2024. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the ceremony today to learn all about it.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Mahogany Street is regarded as a place that’s buzzing with activity, akin to that of downtown Belize. In an effort to boost tourism activity and economic flow in the area a rejuvenation project was carried out by the Belize Tourism Board, in which over twenty-five small business owners were provided a new booth in order to carry out their business. Today, that project was completed.

 

Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor

“Mahogany Street today is just one added feature to the many upgrades that we have seen throughout this community.  Not too far back, there wasn’t this much interest in commerce on this side of town. Everybody wanted to be in the mainstream areas of the city. BTL Park, Coney Drive, Downtown.  No. We are here witnessing the transformation of Southside Belize City, one project at a time.  I know both ministers can attest to how many people have called wanting to know how they can get a boot out here, because I personally have received many. At the heart of the Mahogany Street Marketplace Project lies a fundamental commitment to supporting our local vendors and driving economic empowerment within our city.  It is no secret and we don’t like to talk about it enough, that many areas and sectors of business have been taken over by foreign groups. But I want to proudly announce, without apology, that every single business out here today is one hundred percent Belizean owned.”

 

Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Anthony Mahler stated that the plan is to keep moving forward with the project and renovate up top thirty-five booths and that this is just one part of the ministry’s plan to reignite areas of Belize with potential to thrive.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations

“Every booth on the Mahogany Street stretch will be upgraded and we have supported the people who operate in those booths with some cash whereby, if they need to upgrade their stoves, their refrigerator or whatever equipment they need to do, we don’t give them the cash, but we buy what they need and so this is a total upliftment. All we did here was to change the look and feel of it. we want it to be a safe area. We want more people to come and visit. This is the heartbeat of Southside, I believe especially for the Deputy Prime Minister and myself.  Mahogany Street is the main corridor where all the action happens. But this is just another level of commitment on the south side. You’ve seen it with Berger Field, Constitution Park. We’re doing the Ring Road Park in Lake I that we’re partnering with the DPM. We’ve greened the entire area here so that it can have a good feeling. We believe if we have the infrastructure to support where people live and work, then they will have a different mindset. We advocate for them to take care of the investments it’s theirs. They can invest more in their businesses. If they need help in training, we are willing to do those things.”

 

The projected started back in 2022 and has grown to new heights. Vendor Ainsley Castro of Naked Chicken was one of the first to be included in this endeavor.

 

 

 

 

 

Ainsley Castro, Proprietor, Naked Chicken (File: October 4th, 2022)

“Da wahn nice project, cause first of all dehn mi done mention this to we soh now we look forward to it and the promise is looking like it’s going to be fulfilled cause, yoh know, da mi wahn thing weh everybody mi expect and also weh we like about it da wahn free of cost to, right. Soh, you know, we benefit a lot from it.  Soh I noh think nobody should complain and everybody di look forward fi it.  I’m excited about it, I cyant wait.”

 

 

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.