The newest restaurant and retail attraction on Paradise Island, Kerzner Internationalﾴs Marina Village, appears to be attracting a steady stream of Bahamians and tourists.
It means that operators of nearby small businesses are measuring the impact the colourful and quaint set of stores and restaurants are having on their own operations.
On Monday, some businesspersons on Paradise Island said Marina Village has generally been good news for them, although some worry about whether they would face fierce competition.
Michael Wicki, general manager of Anthonyﾴs Caribbean Bar and Grill and Quiznos Subs in the Paradise Island Shopping Plaza, said that business was considerably good at Anthonyﾴs until a short while ago.
He blamed Marina Village, right across the street from his business, for the decline in business.
“Prior to Marina Village opening we did tremendously and substantially better than the year before,” Mr. Wicki told The Bahama Journal in an interview at the restaurant.
“Since Marina Village opened, quite naturally, business has slowed down somewhat. However, we know that our regular customers will come back and join us again. I wonﾴt consider this period a drought. Business is just somewhat off right now, but it is still better than last year.”
Mr. Wicki believes that Marina Village and the larger portion of Atlantis Phase Three will in the long term increase opportunities for small businesses such as his own.
He said that Anthonyﾴs has already started expanding to prepare for what it expects will be a pickup in sales.
Mr. Wicki also indicated that unlike Anthonyﾴs, the more competitively priced Quiznos Subs has shown an increase in business in recent months.
“Quiznos has done better month by month quite naturally and with the construction people being here that has helped a lot,” Mr. Wicki said.
He said that the employees working at the establishments in Marina Village will mean increased profits for Quiznos.
“They show up for breakfast and would come over for a quick lunch because where else on this island can they go and afford a nice lunch? We are dealing with both tourists and workers,” Mr. Wicki said.
“If I had to pay for it on a daily basis, I cannot afford to pay $20 to $30 for lunch, but at Quiznos you can get a very nice sandwich for less than $7.”
John Constantakis, owner of Island Blue, which carries an internationally recognized brand called Fresh Produce Clothing Line at the Hurricane Hole Plaza on Paradise Island, said his sales have remained steady in recent weeks.
“Overall our sales have been up,” said Mr. Constantakis, who said that there has been a 10 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
“When you look at Julyﾅ our sales have been a little better this year than last year at the same time. So I can safely say that we have not loss any sales to the Marina Village.”
The news appeared to be not so good at nearby Bahama Republic.
Shelly Pyfrom, co-owner of the souvenir store, said that business has decreased considerably, but like many other tourist-driven businesses on the island, Ms. Pyfrom attributes her decline in sales to the time of year.
“I have to say that it has been slow, but I was thinking that a lot of the U.S. schools have gone back in,” Ms. Pyfrom said. “ﾅIt gets slow toward the end of August and the beginning of September. I saw a similar trend last year as well where a lot of the schools are going in earlier.”
She added, however, “I have seen more local traffic and I believe that that is due to Marina Village. I do have a lot of local customers, but I have seen local customers who I normally donﾴt see since Iﾴve opened and I think that that is because they are coming to see Marina Village.”
Ms. Pyfrom said she remains hopeful about growth in sales.
Devra Ford, who manages Choosy Foods in the Hurricane Hole Plaza, also believes that the decrease in sales that her company is experiencing is due to the time of year.
“All small businesses just have to fight for the dollar and just see what windows God will open,” she said.
“Our menu is very different from anyone else on the island. So we are unique on the whole. I really do not feel that our competition is really with Marina Village right now.”
Perez Clarke, The Bahama Journal
