Bermudian vendors have been given a place to showcase and sell their goods by entrepreneur Kimwana Eve, who has opened a pop-up store in the Washington Mall.

Ms Eve, who founded the online business directory Lookie Lookie which was designed to connect local companies and customers, has opened the store in the Washington Mall, near the English Market.

“I reached out to vendors and many jumped at the opportunity,” said Ms Eve, who has quit her full-time job with the Government to pursue her business plans.

“Many of them jumped at the opportunity and now that I am up-and-running a lot of vendors have also showed up asking to participate.”

Ms Eve, who sees the pop-up as a natural extension to the Lookie Lookie directory, sells goods for 40 Bermudian small business who make their products on-island.

Vendors pay $400 for the time it is open, paying a 5 per cent commission on each item sold.

“I’m happy with the business and I have used this opportunity to learn a lot of things. The response has been beyond what I expected.

“This is my passion, people can feel it, they want to know the story behind it. It is an experience not just a financial transaction. I genuinely believe in helping Bermuda and Bermudians.”

Ms Eve, whose venture has been supported by the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation, has learnt on the job saying: “Now that I know what is required I can make some adjustments”.

The Washington Mall pop-up will close on Christmas Eve but she wants to use the experience and open a shop on Front Street or Reid Street.

Ideally she wants to be able to open in April, although she admits she needs investors to help raise between $50,000 and $70,000.

“Tourists, they see something with Bermuda on it and they know it is made in China. I am not going to offer that. This is made in Bermuda by Bermudians, the tourists like that.”

Lookie Lookie was established last year to encourage residents to find businesses, connect with them and then shop and was designed to be the island’s equivalent of the popular US website, Yelp.

The platform is a directory, but it also serves as a marketing opportunity for businesses.

She is now looking to relaunch the website and is hoping for a sponsor, such as a bank which could build relationships with the businesses listed on the site.

“I launched Lookie Lookie in February 2022 and from then to now I have been collecting details of new businesses and categorising them on my Instagram page and creating a website.

“As small as Bermuda is, we never know who all the small businesses are or how to support the business.”