Girls ran things at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre when the annual Girlfriends Expo took place last weekend.
The laughter of women and feminine topics were the main focus.
From noon on Saturday, scores of women dressed in their finest streamed through the doors of the centre to view cooking demonstrations, make-up illustrations, and fashion rotations amongst other aspects of concern to women.
Not only did they have the opportunity to visit over 100 exhibits of feminine and in some instances masculine products, but they also had the choice of attending fashion shows, workshops and spoken word presentations.
Some grasped the opportunity to get free HIV testing, which was done by the National HIV/AIDS Commission.
Event director Kimtara Clarke told the DAILY NATION that she was encouraged to continue with the successful growth of the show because of the opportunities it offered Barbadian women.
She said that she was aware that most women were busy today as most were employed, working a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, just like most men, and they lacked the time to get out there and find those feminine things they needed and sometimes just wanted.
“In all of our research we found that it is perceived that 90 per cent of the spending power is controlled by women whether she is buying for her man, children or if she is just grocery shopping or looking for financial assistance,” said Clarke, adding that “this expo is for girlfriends to come out and do what women love to do, have fun, gain knowledge and spend some money”.
Nannette Moe was definitely in agreement with Clarke. Moe said she attended the expo because she saw it as a good opportunity to “hang with friends and see some nice [things] for women” and not “the opportunity to man-bash,” as her brother had suggested.
“I was here last year and I was impressed, and I am again this year. The expo gives you an idea of what Barbados has to offer in terms of small businesses you would not have known were here before,” said Moe.
Likewise, Marjorie Wharton came out “to hang with girlfriends and to have fun and to find interesting things in the exhibit to purchase”.
Wharton declared that she was in love with locally made natural products showcased.
“I love the natural products that you can get here that you won’t see anywhere else. I love that the natural foodstuff that are locally made are being sold at reasonable prices,” said Wharton.
Some of the booths included Kami’s Fashion Accessories, Italian Jewels, Barbados Fertility Centre, EZEE Cuisine, Barbados Family Planning and Temptations Bakery among others.
