Weavers partner with FairPrice to sell bilums

FAIRPRICE Furniture has created a partnership with Cathy Alex of the social enterprise Hauslain Souvenirs to help more than 500 bilum weavers of Mt Bosavi in Southern Highlands.
According to a statement, the partnership was formed to help weavers in the remote Mt Bosavi area in Kutubu sell their bilums leading up to Mother’s Day.
Alex had initially found a market space for the bilums to be sold, however, due to the Covid-19 restrictions, her usual retailers were closed and she could not find a market space for the bilums.
“I couldn’t rent shelves to sell the bilums,” she said.
“The bilums that used to sell very quickly, sat there for six months.”
Alex met the FairPrice team through her membership of the Young Professionals Network of PNG and struck a deal to merchandise the backlog of stock.
FairPrice showroom supervisor Diana Laho said: “We came to a mutually beneficial commercial arrangement with Cathy and the Bosavi weavers.
“All local businesses, like us, are facing a challenging time so we are happy to work together.
“Our FairPrice customers like the variety of products on offer and that was the most important thing for us.”
The Bosavi bilums are now on sale at the FairPrice showroom located upstairs at the Courts building in Gordon, Port Moresby.