WENDY CUMMINS is one of hundreds of Barbadians who ply their trade in highly trafficked tourist areas.
Every day whether the sun shines or rain falls, she can be found in Holetown, St James just outside the West Mall crafting her fate – literally. For the past three years, Cummins has made a living selling her jewellery – bracelets, bangles, earrings, chains, bags, dresses and woollen hats.
“In the 1980s I used to sell on the beach making the hats, short pants and that kind of stuff. I left [Barbados] and when I came back I decided to start selling again with these and the jewellery in between what I used to do before,” she told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY.
“When I first started, I used to do smocking and my first dress I made with my hands, then I started with a machine. I learn things myself, if I see something and I think I can make it, I will and put a piece of me in it, and it looks a little different,” she said proudly.
Cummins shared that she was always good with her hands and started her handicraft journey in the 1970s.
“I used to work with a tailor guy in the first Temple Yard and we used to make clothes together. I got to learn how to cut and design more, how to [make] a pants, how to make a jacket, how to make a suit. All those things I can do but now I do them for myself or when I get an order, but back then, we used to make and put them up in the shop and sell them,” she said.
“After Temple Yard, I went to Germany after I was invited. I used to make the hats and patchwork pants. I even tried opening a shop for myself but it didn’t work because the support wasn’t a lot. I stayed there for 16 and a half years.
“I was working at first and after a while Government was helping you if you were self-employed, but things didn’t go right. I still ran it for seven months and after that I closed it because you had to pay everything yourself and the expense was too much,” Cummins said.
When she returned to Barbados, she started to sell on the beach. She recalled that back then there were “a lot more tourists on the beach than they have now”.
“You have less hotels and less tourists. Now they have more condominiums and private homes and less hotels on this side, the west coast,” Cummins noted.
Like any other business, hers has its peaks and troughs, or seasons as she referred to them. For instance, she said that business has picked up now that it’s Crop Over but it will slow again between September and October before peaking again in December. Then she will do more business during the early part of the winter tourist season right down to February before tapering off.
To start the business, she used the money she made from her beach sales to buy the materials she needed. She also sold some of her pieces which she had done in Germany. When she sold a new piece, she bought more material and removed her pieces from sale.
She counts Barbadians looking for unique pieces among her clientele, and while she sources the materials from here, she threads or weaves them together in patterns that set her apart from other craftspeople who might have similar offerings.
“I like different things. I am a unique person so I like to do things differently, not have the same things people are running around with,” she added.
Cummins is keen on passing on what she knows. She said, though, that some people think it is too slow and give up in favour of finding a job.
She disclosed that “if I find the money I would still employ one or two people”, which would allow her to produce “much more” pieces and give her customers and prospective customers the piece of Barbados they want.
“They’re a lot of people out there who are creative but they need encouragement, support and location. Location is important,” she emphasised.
Cummins said she would continue to create – “as long as possible” – her pieces which she enjoys seeing people wear.
“This encourages me to make more . . . . [People] coming here want to see something made in Barbados.” (Green Bananas Media)