博客

Haymans Market: Barbados’ Largest Indoor Market Blends History, Local Business and Lifestyle

Nestled in the rolling countryside of St. Peter, just a short drive from Barbados’ most popular coastal towns, Haymans Market has emerged as far more than the island’s largest indoor retail space—it has evolved into a self-contained, vibrant lifestyle hub that weaves centuries of Barbadian history into a modern, multi-faceted visitor experience.

The market’s distinctive identity is rooted in its industrial past: the sprawling property off Highway 2A is built within the walls of the decommissioned Haymans Sugar Factory, a site with a legacy stretching back to 1649. That year, English planter Henry Haymans purchased a collection of smaller surrounding plantations to establish Haymans Plantation, launching a sugar operation that would operate on the site for more than 300 years. What began as a small wind-powered mill with open-air sugar boiling evolved over generations into a fully electrified modern factory, until sugar production ceased entirely in 1988. After sitting vacant for decades, the site was acquired by Sun Group Inc. in 2020, kicking off an ambitious restoration project that balances historic preservation with adaptive reuse. Today, a non-operational vintage sugar cane transport crane still hangs preserved above the market’s entrance, serving as a tangible reminder of the site’s origins.

“The former Haymans Sugar Factory gave us an authentic identity and a meaningful connection to Barbados’ history. We had the opportunity to restore and reimagine the former Haymans Sugar Factory while retaining the character that makes the site distinctive,” explained Jacob Weatherhead, Haymans Market’s Operations Manager.

The result of that restoration is a thriving hub home to more than 85 unique businesses, ranging from independent local traders and artisans to restaurants, wellness providers and service-based enterprises. One of the market’s biggest successes has been its role in nurturing homegrown Barbadian entrepreneurship: many early vendors who launched from compact 10-by-10-foot booths have now expanded into much larger retail spaces as their customer bases have grown.

“We are particularly proud to see local entrepreneurs who began in small booths build loyal customer bases and move into larger spaces at Haymans. That growth is one of the clearest signs that the market is creating genuine opportunities for Barbadian businesses,” Weatherhead noted.

Reflecting the market’s core values of diversity, enthusiasm and commitment to quality, vendor offerings span nearly every consumer interest. Shoppers can browse handcrafted Barbadian gifts, locally made souvenirs, artisanal fashion and handcrafted home goods, while regularly scheduled community events keep the visitor experience fresh. A monthly farmers’ market is set to transition to a weekly Sunday attraction, and the market also hosts quarterly pop-up and vintage markets that draw both locals and tourists.

In recent years, the site has expanded far beyond retail and dining to become a leading regional wellness and recreation destination. It now houses a fully equipped gym, professional padel tennis courts, and dedicated studios for yoga, Pilates and Reiki. Visitors can refuel at an on-site juice bar serving cold-pressed fresh juices or a local bakery offering homemade pastries and baked goods. A dedicated on-site art gallery showcases work from Barbadian and Caribbean creators, cementing the market’s role as a hub for local cultural expression.

Food remains one of Haymans’ biggest draws, with more than 25 food and beverage outlets catering to every taste. The full-service Haymans Social, led by Culinary Director Jeremy Dupire, serves lunch and dinner during the week, with added Saturday breakfast and all-day Sunday brunch offerings. Its professional catering kitchen supports the restaurant and the market’s large event spaces, which can host private and public gatherings for up to 1,500 attendees. For a more relaxed experience, The Cooling Deck Bar offers open-air seating beneath native bearded fig trees, with unobstructed views of Barbados’ scenic west coast.

Following a soft opening in December 2023, Haymans Market was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley at a public ceremony on March 13, 2024. The path to success was not without hurdles, Weatherhead acknowledged: building awareness of the new destination and establishing consistent visitor foot traffic took months of targeted outreach and community engagement. “The journey has involved a great deal of learning. In the early days, our greatest challenge was establishing Haymans Market as a new destination and building consistent patterns of visitation. As the businesses became more established and people became familiar with everything Haymans had to offer, foot traffic grew steadily,” he said, noting that the market drew 250,000 visits in the past year alone.

Now that Haymans is firmly established as a St. Peter landmark, leadership has laid out an ambitious long-term vision: to position the market as one of Barbados’ leading lifestyle and tourism destinations, a must-visit spot for both locals and international travelers. The site even offers a self-guided audio-visual tour that walks visitors through the market’s history and the broader story of sugar production in Barbados, turning a casual trip into an immersive cultural experience.

Located just five minutes from Speightstown, 10 minutes from Holetown and 15 minutes from Warrens, Haymans Market balances convenient access with a secluded, escape-like atmosphere. “We see Haymans Market as the heart of a broader destination, bringing together shopping, dining, entertainment, wellness, professional services and community events within one historic setting,” Weatherhead said. “As we grow, we want to attract a strong mix of established and emerging Barbadian businesses, create new reasons for people—locals and visitors alike—to visit throughout the week, because there is always something happening, and continue restoring the former sugar factory and surrounding property in a way that respects its heritage.”

What was once a working factory processing sugar cane from surrounding fields is now a space where visitors can eat, explore, exercise or unwind, blending hundreds of years of Barbadian history with 21st-century lifestyle experiences. Ultimately, the project aims to set a blueprint for adaptive reuse of the island’s historic industrial sites: “Ultimately, we want Haymans to support local entrepreneurship, contribute positively to St. Peter and demonstrate how Barbados’ historic properties can be successfully reimagined for the future,” Weatherhead added.

5 10 月, 2026
Briceño Sits Down With National Garifuna Council

Weeks after triggering widespread backlash from inaccurate remarks about the Garifuna community’s population size, Belize Prime Minister John Briceño has sat down for direct negotiations with leadership of the National Garifuna Council to address longstanding community priorities, chief among them land rights and formal indigenous recognition.

The face-to-face meeting marks a key step toward de-escalating tensions that erupted after Briceño’s conversation with internationally renowned soca artist Machel Montano, where the prime minister incorrectly claimed the Garifuna population in Belize numbered only between 3,000 and 4,000. Following swift public criticism from the community and Indigenous Affairs leaders, Briceño issued a formal public apology and proactively reached out to council leadership to schedule the discussion.

Following the meeting, Briceño reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to advancing indigenous rights across the country. “Our government remains dedicated to upholding the inherent rights of all indigenous peoples, and protecting the unique Garifuna culture and heritage that form such an invaluable part of Belize’s national identity,” he stated in remarks after the talks, confirming that land rights topped the agenda of issues addressed during the session.

National Garifuna Council President Alex Nolberto confirmed that Briceño openly acknowledged the error in his earlier population statistics, and that the community’s focus extends far beyond correcting the misstatement. Nolberto highlighted that a long-awaited memorandum of understanding remains the group’s top legislative priority: if finalized, the agreement will formally legally recognize the Garifuna people as an indigenous group within Belize and unlock critical public funding needed for community development projects.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh had previously framed Briceño’s earlier comment as an accidental misstatement, noting that “it was an innocent mistake” while also emphasizing that he fully understands why the community reacted with frustration. Zabaneh added that all parties now agree the focus should shift from the controversy to advancing substantive policy changes that benefit the Garifuna community, aligning with the government’s broader commitments to equity and indigenous self-determination.

5 10 月, 2026
Three Armed Men Rob Restaurant, Take Security Guard’s Gun

In a brazen daytime incident that has shaken local business communities in Belize City, three heavily armed men carried out an armed robbery at the popular Midtown Restaurant on Friday, October 5, 2026, making off with the on-duty security guard’s 9mm service weapon and a confidential document bag from inside the establishment.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero confirmed the details of the attack in an official statement released shortly after the incident. According to Romero’s account, the security guard was stationed at his post outside the restaurant, carrying his issued 9mm pistol, when a suspicious vehicle pulled onto the property carrying the three male suspects, all of whom were openly carrying firearms.

The confrontation unfolded quickly: one of the armed suspects immediately engaged the security guard in a physical struggle, overpowering him before seizing his service pistol. Meanwhile, a second suspect entered the main dining area of the restaurant to steal the document bag, while the third suspect remained at the vehicle as a getaway driver. The trio fled the scene before local law enforcement could respond.

In the immediate aftermath of the robbery, police units managed to track down and recover the abandoned vehicle that investigators believe was used by the suspects to reach and flee the restaurant. The vehicle has now been impounded as key evidence for the ongoing investigation.

Romero noted that law enforcement teams are currently working through multiple lines of inquiry to identify and apprehend the three attackers. Investigators are reviewing closed-circuit security footage from the restaurant and surrounding businesses to get clear visuals of the suspects, and are coordinating with the Belize Transport Department to trace the vehicle’s registered owner, a step that could provide critical breaks in the case. No further details on potential suspects or the value of the stolen documents have been released as of yet.

5 10 月, 2026
Two Suspects Detained After Attempted Abduction in Corozal

On October 5, 2026, a botched forced detention incident in the quiet community of San Andres, located in Belize’s Corozal District, has left local residents shaken after law enforcement intervened to rescue two targeted men and take two alleged perpetrators into custody. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, the incident unfolded when authorities received an urgent tip about a red pickup truck that had been used to forcibly seize two local men. Moving quickly on the information provided, police units intercepted the vehicle within the San Andres area, where they discovered a total of four people inside the truck: the two detained victims and the two suspects now in custody. The victims have been publicly identified as Ricardo Zetina and Walter Pineda, who told investigators that their captors held them against their will to question them about a cache of reportedly stolen property in the region. Following the initial detention of Zetina and Pineda, the suspects then traveled to the home of one victim’s brother, pressing him for additional information about the alleged stolen goods before witnesses alerted local police. Romero confirmed that the suspects have claimed the two men purchased stolen property from other individuals operating within the San Andres area. As of the initial report, both suspects remain behind bars at a local police facility, with formal criminal charges scheduled to be filed on the following Monday. Local law enforcement has not released additional details about the value of the alleged stolen items or any prior criminal history of the suspects, as the investigation remains active in the lead-up to the filing of charges.

5 10 月, 2026
Thirty organizations call for voter confirmation extension in Dominica

Dominica’s electoral reform process, launched years ago to address long-running accusations of voting irregularities and rebuild public trust in the country’s democratic systems, is facing new hurdles as more than 30 major civic and business organizations demand a three-month extension of the ongoing voter confirmation period.

The root of the current process stretches back to the late 2010s, when the opposition United Workers Party raised formal claims of unfair voting practices against the sitting Dominica Labour Party government. To resolve the dispute and create a more accountable framework for future elections, the government commissioned an independent, three-year assessment of the national electoral system led by prominent jurist Sir Dennis Byron, which ran from 2020 to 2023. The findings of that review paved the way for the passage of three landmark electoral reform bills in March 2025, designed explicitly to boost electoral integrity, increase process transparency, and bring outdated voting procedures into the modern era.

Under the new rules, the current voter confirmation phase is scheduled to conclude on October 14, 2026. But a coalition of leading groups led by the Dominica Business Forum (DBF) is sounding the alarm over what it calls documented administrative and implementation challenges that have left the process far behind schedule. In a formal petition signed by all 30+ participating organizations, the coalition laid out stark data showing just how far behind the effort has fallen: as of the petition’s filing, only 22,183 voters have completed the confirmation process. For context, a total of 39,702 voters were confirmed ahead of the 2019 general election, meaning that if an election were called immediately under the current rules, only 56% of the 2019 voter base would be eligible to cast a ballot.

The coalition emphasized that widespread, inclusive participation is the foundation of a legitimate democratic process, and that years of work have already been invested to reform Dominica’s electoral framework and rebuild public confidence in its election institutions. “Considerable effort has been made to reform our electoral system and rebuild confidence in our electoral institutions and democracy,” the petition reads. The groups also stressed that a three-month extension is explicitly permitted under the 2025 electoral reform legislation, so the request does not require rewriting existing law or deviating from the already agreed reform roadmap. They argue that the extra time will allow administrators to work through existing backlogs at a fair, sustainable pace, remove barriers to voter participation, and ultimately solidify the public trust that the entire reform process was designed to restore.

The broad coalition backing the petition underscores the widespread cross-sector support for the extension: it includes major business associations such as the Dominica Employers Federation, Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce, and Dominica Manufacturers Association; leading tourism groups including the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association; religious bodies such as the Dominica Christian Council and Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches; citizen advocacy groups including the Dominica Council on Ageing, National Youth Council, and Dominica Association of Persons with Disabilities; multiple trade unions; every major national sports governing body, from the Dominica Cricket Association to the Dominica Olympic Committee; all of the country’s village councils; leading financial institutions including the National Bank of Dominica and multiple cooperative credit unions; and the country’s two top higher education institutions, University of the West Indies Global Campus and Dominica State College.

5 10 月, 2026
Student injured in Cas En Bas accident still awaiting surgery

It has been over 14 days since a devastating vehicle-pedestrian collision left a teenage girl seriously injured in the Cas En Bas community of Saint Lucia, and the 16-year-old victim, Tatiyana Innocent, remains stuck in a hospital bed without the surgery she needs to recover. Her mother, Vanessa Martin, has spoken publicly about the growing stress and uncertainty the family is facing amid the repeated delays to her daughter’s procedure.

Innocent is one of two students from Entrepot Secondary School who were hurt in the September 18 crash, both suffering significant lower-body injuries that required immediate hospital admission. What was supposed to be a clear path to treatment has instead turned into a frustrating waiting game, according to Martin.

Initially, medical providers scheduled Innocent’s surgery for September 28, just 10 days after the crash. But shortly before the procedure was set to begin, hospital administrators rescheduled it with no clear new timeline for when the operation will go forward. Martin says she has already completed every step the hospital asked of her to prepare: when staff requested a blood donation to support the surgery, she stepped forward to donate, and rallied additional community members to contribute as well. Those efforts paid off: the hospital now holds a sufficient supply of matching blood, and Innocent’s hemoglobin levels have stabilized at levels that meet all clinical requirements for a safe procedure. From Martin’s perspective, every box has been checked, and there are no remaining barriers to moving forward with the surgery.

Per hospital classifications, the procedure is labeled as elective surgery. While elective procedures are not classified as immediate life-saving emergencies, the term does not mean the surgery is optional or unnecessary; many medically critical procedures that improve long-term health and quality of life are categorized as elective to distinguish them from unplanned emergency interventions. For Innocent, the surgery is still essential to address her crash-related injuries and prevent permanent complications.

Growing increasingly frustrated by the indefinite delay, Martin has made a public appeal for community support to push for her daughter’s treatment. She says she is asking for the public to stand with her to push the hospital to schedule the surgery as soon as possible. If the local health system cannot accommodate the procedure in a timely manner, Martin says she wants hospital officials to release Innocent so she can seek alternative care elsewhere, where her daughter can access the urgent, appropriate treatment she needs to heal.

5 10 月, 2026
Medicinal Cannabis Authority Substance Awareness Message reaches over 1,000 students

The Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) has brought its proactive Substance Abuse and Awareness Learning (SAAL) initiative to Otto Comprehensive School, marking the fifth educational institution reached by the program since its launch in September. This on-site outreach session centered on equipping adolescent students with evidence-based information to make informed choices about delaying or completely avoiding the initiation of substance use during their critical developmental years.

Designed to guide young people through the complex transitions from adolescence to adulthood, the interactive presentation pushed back against widespread cultural narratives that frame cannabis as a harmless recreational activity. MCA representatives stressed that for developing brains and bodies, the substance carries significant avoidable risks, urging students to not adopt the normalization of adult substance use as a template for their own behavior.

The open discussion also covered underdiscussed dangers of unregulated substance use: when young people obtain cannabis or other drugs from unvetted sources, they face severe risks including contamination with toxic chemicals and unexpected adulterants that can cause acute harm. The outreach also addressed the growing public health threat of youth vaping, reminding attendees that most commercial vaping products contain highly addictive nicotine, engineered to encourage compulsive, repeated use that can lead to long-term dependence.

Across all covered topics—including cannabis, tobacco, vaping, and alcohol—the core message of SAAL remained consistent: all mood-altering substances require intentional, responsible decision-making, and young people are best served by avoiding misuse to prioritize their personal growth, academic progress, and long-term life outcomes.

Beyond educating students, the session also reinforced the critical role that adults play in youth substance use prevention. Teachers, parents, guardians and other community adults are positioned both as positive role models for healthy decision-making and as the first point of support for young people navigating questions or concerns about substance use.

To extend the impact of the program beyond single outreach sessions, MCA has built a formal partnership with the Substance-Use Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation Center (SPARC) to provide ongoing support for schools and families. The authority encourages educators, administrators, parents and guardians to reach out directly for additional guidance—whether a student is already showing signs of needing targeted support, or adults simply want to deepen their own understanding of cannabis-related issues to better guide young people.

Schools can also contact MCA to arrange tailored counselling referrals, ongoing student support programming, and customized educational sessions focused on cannabis literacy and responsible substance use. The initiative is rooted in a proactive public health framework, prioritizing early access to accurate information and support before problematic use develops, rather than responding only after crises emerge. Through consistent, repeated engagement with schools via SAAL, MCA is working to build sustained, trusting relationships that create space for honest conversations, empower informed decision-making, and enable early intervention when it is most needed.

5 10 月, 2026
U.S. Military Says Four Killed in Strike on Suspected Drug Boat in Caribbean

A U.S. military operation targeting suspected drug trafficking in the Caribbean has left four people dead following a strike on a high-speed vessel on October 4, according to official announcements from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

The operation was executed by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere under the direct oversight of SOUTHCOM, with the target being a fast-moving boat traveling along known trafficking routes in the region. In an official statement released via its verified social media account, SOUTHCOM confirmed that pre-operation intelligence had established the vessel was actively engaged in narcotics smuggling activities. The four individuals killed in the strike have been labeled “narco-terrorists” by the command.

Notably, the official statement has left multiple key details undisclosed. The identities of the four people killed have not been released to the public, and the exact geographic location of the strike has also been withheld. Additional information that has not been made available includes the origin and intended destination of the vessel, as well as the type, purity, and total quantity of any illicit narcotics that were allegedly being transported. SOUTHCOM has also declined to publish the specific intelligence data that supports its claims about the vessel’s involvement in drug trafficking, leaving the public and international observers with no independent way to verify the assertion.

5 10 月, 2026
Fees for CXC 2027 CSEC, CAPE, CCSLC and CTEC examinations

A formal public announcement from Grenada’s education administration has outlined key logistics for candidates planning to sit the 2027 Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) assessments, covering four major credential programs: the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC), and Caribbean Technical and Vocational Education Certificate (CTEC).

Issued by Lorraine St Louis-Nedd, Permanent Secretary for Educational Administration, the announcement confirms multiple official payment channels for the required examination fees. Candidates may submit payments in-person at the national Treasury Department or any local District Revenue Office, or complete transactions digitally through the official government online payment portal, accessible at https://pay.gov.gd/.

In a key advisory to candidates, the education administration is urging all test-takers to complete their registration and fee payment well in advance of the deadline. Early action is framed as a way to avoid common last-minute issues including system slowdowns, long in-person wait times, and unexpected processing delays that could put a candidate’s eligibility at risk.

The announcement was published via NOW Grenada, a local media platform, which has included a standard content disclaimer: the outlet does not take responsibility for opinions, statements, or third-party contributed media content shared through its platform. Users who identify potentially abusive content on the site are directed to use the platform’s dedicated reporting tool to flag violations.

5 10 月, 2026
CARIFTA Team introduction

Grenada is set to showcase its emerging endurance athletic talent on the regional stage once again, after Triathlon Grenada officially announced the roster of young athletes selected to compete at the 8th edition of the CARIFTA Triathlon, Aquathlon and Mixed Team Relay Championships. The prestigious regional competition is scheduled to take place in Bermuda between October 22 and 26, 2026.

This announcement comes on the heels of Grenada’s standout performance at the 2025 championships held in Tobago, where the nation’s athletes secured an impressive medal haul of two golds, one silver, and one bronze. Buoyed by that success, Triathlon Grenada has set high expectations for this year’s delegation, aiming to replicate and build upon that strong showing. All selected athletes bring diverse competitive experience across swimming, track and field, and combined multisport events, with many having already represented Grenada at major regional competitions.

The 2026 Grenadian team features eight promising young competitors spanning multiple age divisions. Leading the 13–14 age group is Eithan Chu Fook, one of the nation’s most seasoned junior multisport athletes, who boasts an extensive competition resume including appearances at the OECS Swimming Championships from 2022 to 2025, the 2024 Goodwill Games, the 2025 CARIFTA Aquatics and Aquathlon Championships, the 2026 CARIFTA Aquatics (pool and open water), and the 2026 PANAM Aquatics Championships. Joining Chu Fook in the 13–14 division are Payton De Freitas, who will make her CARIFTA Triathlon debut after competing at the 2026 Goodwill Swimming Championships, and Tyrese Braveboy, a determined young athlete with a strong dual foundation in athletics and swimming who will also be making his first appearance at the event.

In the 11–12 age group, Grenada fields two athletes: Ethan William Clermont, who has represented Grenada at OECS Swimming from 2023 through 2025 and competed at the Goodwill Swimming Championships between 2023 and 2026, demonstrating consistent growth across all competitive disciplines; and Mateo Thomas, a versatile competitor who has notched consistent results at OECS Swimming (2022–2025) and Goodwill Swimming (2024–2026), and makes his return to CARIFTA Triathlon after his debut at the 2025 edition in Trinidad and Tobago.

Moving to the 15–16 age division, Carvon James, a powerful runner and rising triathlon star who has competed at the School Athletics Nationals from 2022 to 2024, and has prior CARIFTA Triathlon experience from the 2024 Barbados and 2025 Tobago editions, will represent Grenada. He is joined by Eliza-Rose Benjamin, a talented dual-sport athlete with experience in both track and field and swimming, who has competed at the Whitsuntide Games, Intercol Championships, and OECS Swimming from 2021 to 2025, and represented Grenada at the 2024 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships in The Bahamas. Bermuda will mark Benjamin’s first CARIFTA Triathlon appearance.

Rounding out the competitor roster is Kaleb Williams, competing in the 17–21 age division. Williams brings a strong background in both athletics and swimming, having represented Grenada at OECS Swimming 2024–2025, the CARIFTA Swimming Championships, the 2026 St Lucia RHAC Meet, and the 2024–2026 Intercol Games. Like many of his teammates, he will make his CARIFTA Triathlon debut in Bermuda.

Beyond the athlete roster, the Grenadian delegation benefits from a skilled and experienced support staff. Head Coach Troy Felix brings deep expertise gained from competing and coaching at numerous regional and international cycling and triathlon events. A former national champion in both sports, Felix holds Level 2 coaching certifications in both triathlon and cycling, and has previously represented Grenada at the international level.

Heading the delegation is Nicola Mulholland, who serves dual roles as Team Manager and President of Triathlon Grenada. Mulholland holds a World Triathlon Certificate in Coaching Female Triathletes, and will be managing her fifth consecutive CARIFTA delegation. Her longstanding experience, athlete-centered leadership approach, and specialized expertise in junior athletic development are cited as key pillars of the team’s ongoing success.

As the countdown to the October championships begins, Grenada’s young athletes are already preparing to test their skills against the best junior triathletes and aquathlon athletes from across the Caribbean region, with high hopes of adding to the nation’s growing medal legacy in the sport.

5 10 月, 2026