LAST?Friday night at Lower Estate, St George, a gathering of family and friends paid tribute to Susie Miller as they celebrated not only her reaching another year but also her entry into business as an entrepreneur.
Susie Miller has been known around the bar scene for nearly a decade working at the now defunct Briar Patch, which was located in Vauxhall, within a stone’s throw from Sheraton Centre, and at Hercules Bar in the heart of Oistins.
Patrons will remember her as an affable attendant who held them captive to these two food and beverage establishments. Indeed, she was one of the prominent faces associated with these two business entities. It was clear that Su, as she is familiarly known, was adept at customer service. It obviously gave her a thrill!
Now she has taken the plunge on her own. When Bitts Bar in Lower Estate, became available for leasing she grabbed the opportunity just over a month ago.
We were able to see her in her element on Friday night. Our first observation was that she had the support of key family members and some long-standing friends. Her daughter Shanelle, who carries the trademark charm of her mum, was active supervising the food section of the activities.
Along with her was Su’s nephew Kerwin Miller, who was the main man at the barbecue grill. Su’s sister Beverly was also lending a helping hand in that area.
The food was an attraction in itself. The usual Bajan dishes of pork chops, pigtails, chicken and macaroni pie were prominent.
The food was made even more palatable by the customer-friendly manner of Su’s immediate family members. Brother William also made his presence felt by engaging the patrons in lively conversations.
Su told us that on the Monday, the actual birth date, she had spent the entire day with friends who had joined her for the celebration.
Friday night was an extended celebration for other folk. Among those we met was Dolores Sealy who is no doubt an inspiration to Su. She operates Big Sweets Bar in Cottage, St George, and has been doing so successfully for the past five years.
Elton Grosvenor, who operates his karaoke and musical system under the name DJ Eggs, provided the music.
It was not surprising because Su would have been familiar with the quality of his service since she would have seen him operate at Hercules Bar for many of the years when she worked for that establishment. He would also be a source of encouragement for her as a new entrepreneur.
The bar was under the control of one of her trusted friends with knowledge of the beverage business – Trevor Phillips. He was also a pleasant host.
Entry into the world of business as the one in control means long work hours as the business operates from 10 a.m. until 12 midnight from Monday to Thursday.
On Friday and Saturday these hours may extend to 1 a.m. the next day. However, this is not totally unfamiliar to this daring entrepreneur who loves to see people happy just like her friend Dolores Sealy.
Dolores had earlier told us that she was happy to be in this kind of business. She declared: “It gives me independence and I like entertaining and socializing.”
Su is surely in good company. Long may this celebration last as they both taste their slice of Bajan life!
