(Press Release) Basseterre, St. Kitts: The National Trust in St. Kitts, has entered into two strategic partnerships that will generate new revenue for its operations, while also assisting young entrepreneurship.
At the beginning of October 2021, the Trust signed leases with two new tenants, who are now located at the National Museum Building in Basseterre.
The tenants are Alex Tobias owner of the ‘Smoothie Shack’ which is located in the Archway of the Museum, and Icilma Hanley who operates a small café on the West Wing Verandah of the Building.
The Trust is excited to partner with these two vendors who have been operating their
businesses for several years on the street next to the building, but who, like many vendors in the city center were challenged for space when the authorities removed all vendors from the road sides.
The Verandah was retrofitted with French glass windows to create an enclosure for the café
without compromising the aesthetics of the building. The Smoothie Shack is housed in a
bamboo structure within an open space in the archway.
Even though the Museum Building is not historically known to cater for vendors of this nature, the Trust made a strategic decision that ultimately provided a benefit for the vendors, their customers and the organisation.
“As we continue to find creative ways to diversify our income streams to support the activities of the Trust, we looked at our resources and realized that the utilization of our sites presented a great opportunity for us to create spaces for the public to access. Not only are we receiving new and much needed income, the move has also helped to increase visitor traffic to the area.” says Executive Director, Ryllis Godeth.
“As we continue to expand and diversify the offerings of the Trust, we are hoping to provide
citizens and visitors with a range of exciting and informative options for business and leisure.
We may also adopt a similar policy in the future at other heritage sites in Sandy Point, Cayon and Mansion. The accessibility of our sites and the upgrading of our services to spur
entrepreneurial opportunities, are some of the ways that the Trust can demonstrate that our heritage belongs to all of us,” the Executive Director added.
For more information on spaces for lease or accessing our giftshop, museum or documentation center, please feel free to contact us by email at schs@sisterisles.kn or call (869) 465-5584.
