Posted on 02/15/2009 12:04:53 PM PST by Loyalist
A room in a Halifax community centre was transformed Saturday into an African village bazaar where black business operators displayed wares and trolled for customers.
And while the event had an African theme, and was held in chilly Nova Scotia during an unforgiving Canadian winter, it was marked by the presence of all things Obama.
The image of U.S. President Barack Obama was on many products for sale at the four-hour bazaar.
Calendars, T-shirts, posters, buttons, fridge magnets — you name it, the president’s face, or name, was on it.
The sale, part of African Heritage Month celebrations, attracted people of all ages to the Bloomfield Centre, in the city’s north end. All the sellers, displaying such goods as hand-made baskets, clothing, books, hair care products and linen shopping bags, were women.
"It’s not intentional," vendor Bernadette Hamilton-Reid said. "It just worked out that way."
Ms. Hamilton-Reid said businessmen were invited to take part, and one man had indicated he was planning to sell his products, but he wasn’t there. "We’re primarily women entrepreneurs but we certainly opened it up to any vendors that have African cultural products," she said.
Buying and selling weren’t the only things going on at the lively bazaar. There was free food, a performance of African drumming and a reading by Gloria Ann Wesley, the first black poet to have her work published in this province.
Ms. Hamilton-Reid, of Lake Echo, owns Sankofa Marketing and Sales. She said she’s been a business operator since 1997.
Many potential customers don’t realize various products sought by black consumers are available in Nova Scotia, Ms. Hamilton-Reid said.
"My biggest thing here is networking," she said, standing behind a table that included some Obama-related stuff. "Certainly, if I make sales, it’s a bonus."
Asked about the popularity of the Obama material, Ms. Hamilton-Reid said it’s her biggest seller.
"He is the biggest draw. I mean, I’ve had to bring in stuff that I normally wouldn’t bring in."
One of the challenges facing Ms. Hamilton-Reid is getting domestic suppliers. She said she goes on road trips to the United States to bring back most of her goods.
"I have not been able to find any Canadian suppliers," said Ms. Hamilton-Reid, a former member of the Halifax regional school board.
Nova Scotia's black community is descended from slaves freed by the British for fighting against their American masters.
Now they embrace a man who made his path to power over those enslaved by the Democratic political and welfare machine.
I could use some Obama toilet paper. Is any of this on sale?
He’s already on the bargain rack at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Get your collector plates, 50% off!
You beat me to it. It’s too bad there is a limit of 2 plates per caller. These are truly going to be valuable someday.
I came here to post that but you beat me!
Sorry to have disappointed you. Look, if I run across a bargain on O’Asswipe, I’ll send you an email and we can arrange for a shipment to you. How’s that?
Well, Halifax is a measure of Obamas reach. But the Obama culture wil only justify so much of his misconduct.
His popularity i the USA is proving very ephemeral and transient.
Empty suit pins coming soon.
“I’ll take ‘misspellings of bizarre’ for $200, Alex.”
On sale at “Bizarre” makes more sense.
Can I get one of those on a window sticker?
My baraq bumper sticker is all used up. Too many holes in it. I could use some more of those stickers. They work nicely pasted on cardboard boxes about 300 yards away.
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