Market place helping small businesses

By PHOEBE GWANGILO
BUSINESSWOMAN Josephine Kama who began small in 2018 thanks the POM City Market for helping her expand her business.
“I started off with K1,000 at the Pom City Market in 2018.
“Now, I spend K8,000 to buy local and international products to sell at my shop,” she said during the POM City Market last weekend.
Kama said joining the venture helped her establish contacts and clients, expanding her reach and clientele.
She now owns a shop at the Unity Mall in Waigani.
Similarly, artist Noah Kawatalu, 28, thanks the event organised once a month for enabling him to sell his paintings.
“Through the Pom City Market, my business increased.
“I made roughly K800 to K900 weekly,” he said.
But the father of two from Milne Bay admits that the Covid-19 had affected his business recently, with income now only K150 to K250 a fortnight.
Both thanked event coordinator Pasco Group for the initiative.
Pascoe SME marketing managing Marie Nick Mapai said this month’s Pom City Market saw 150 stalls registered.
“Today (Saturday) there were about 100 stalls registered.
“Tomorrow (yesterday), we are expecting 50 stalls,” Mapai said.
The Pom City Market began in 2017 as a platform for small-medium businesses to sell items and build a vendor network.
It now has more than 500 businesses registered.