THE Marianas Business Showcase, held at Crowne Plaza’s Hibiscus Hall on Sunday, brought together 29 small businesses amid the island’s economic uncertainty.
PK Daigo, co-founder of Marianas Business Network, the event organizer, said the goal was to allow residents and businesses to meet face-to-face.
“We’re truly excited that we have our local business here and for our community coming to support us and getting to know our local businesses and the products and services they offer here,” Daigo told Variety.
The participating businesses included Micronesian Air Cargo, Paradise Dental Spa, Last Shot Bar, Beyer Woodworking, Bobole’s Novelties, Pepoy’s Café & Restaurant, Priority One Transport, and many more.
Throughout the event, which ran from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., MBN scheduled business demonstrations on the Hibiscus Hall mainstage so that businesses could showcase the services or goods they offered.
While at the event, Variety asked vendors how the economy was affecting their business.
It’s a struggle
Dee Lizama Parker owns The Cookie Shop, which she built in 2022 with no storefront. She said she has a passion for baking and pastries, and over two years ago she began doing bake sales to raise money to support stray animals on island.
In 2023, she opened a brick and mortar store in Chalan Kanoa where she makes baked goods to sell and distribute to 13 markets around Saipan.
“The economy is slow so people are stretching their money,” Parker said. “Getting a cookie is a treat but not every day. So we decided to venture into the markets to help expand our finances.”
She said she also faces immigration and supply issues.
“Right now, we’re just riding out the struggles with one, employment — I have two employees that will be sent [off island] due to touchback — and, two, we’re also hunting for eggs. Eggs are short on the island. It’s a struggle right now.”
She said, for the most part she purchases goods such as butter and sugar from local wholesalers, but for some items, such as chocolates or cookie butter, she has to shop online.
“Resources are our biggest struggle aside from the economy and sales,” Parker said. “It’s really just getting and hunting materials.”
She remains grateful to the community, however.
“We became successful because of the community,” she said. “Just having the community support us is helping us survive. Going on two years, I’m so excited to be a local women-operated business. Because of the community we can still stand.”
Also participating in the business showcase were Charline Ebreo and her mother, Mageline Borja, of Charline House of Beauty.
Ebreo said they were at the showcase to “to network with other businesses and find future clients.”
“We’ve only been in business for a year,” Ebreo said. “We mostly wanted to introduce ourselves to the community.”
Ebreo said their business is “seasonal,” meaning that they get busy during prom or wedding seasons.
“We’ll be booked for the whole day and it will look like that the whole week,” she said. “[Right] now we’re mostly busy during weekends. During the week it’s slower. Maybe one or two customers a day.”
Borja said her business is “surviving.”
“I offer complete services,” she said, adding that aside from herself, the salon has one other beautician. “I accept [work] by appointment. So far so good.”
Like Parker, Borja feels the impact of the CW-1 touchback provision.
“It’s hard to hire a beautician, especially from the Philippines. Even here [locally] it’s hard to hire. I need at least three or four extra people to make money. Right now, I’m only surviving with what we need,” she said. “It’s not easy because there’s touchback. If I’m going to hire and they’re fixing the papers, there will be six or seven months’ touchback. [Additionally], I’m going to spend [a lot] to process papers and [other] expenses in the Philippines before they [get] here.”
Borja said she also faces competition from the numerous beauty salons on the island.
“It’s very hard for now. Good thing I’m ‘all-around’ so I can survive,” she said, adding she can take care of male and female clients from “head to toe” by offering haircut, permanent brows, wart removal, manicure, pedicure, body slimming, and more.
‘Everyone’s hurting’
Eugene Rabago, sales representative for Marpac, said, “everyone’s hurting now” in the private sector.
Rabago distributes products for Marpac’s consumer and professional divisions. At the showcase, Marpac demonstrated some of its products from companies such as Kimberly-Clark Corporation and S.C. Johnson.
He said there were a lot of contributing factors behind the “slowing economy,” including “a drop in population and the tourism industry dying out.” For these reasons, he said, “we’re trying to turn to our local people. That’s the only way for us to thrive, if we support local business. It’s just trying to get our consumers to switch to our products.”
Rabago said Marpac is relying on different promotions such as “insert to win” promos or free samples. He said they are also “managing costs.”
“Everyone is hurting,” he reiterated. “It’s [about] managing costs right now to stay afloat, but we’re hanging on and just taking it a step at a time.”
Dee Lizama Parker, left, was at the showcase for her small business, The Cookie Shop.
Charline Ebreo, left, and her mother, Mageline Borja, at the Marianas Business Showcase.
The Marianas Business Showcase took place at the Crowne Plaza’s on Feb. 23, bringing together 29 small businesses.
The Marianas Business Network envisioned the Marianas Business Showcase as an event where vendors and consumers could meet face-to-face.
From left, Marpac representatives Tom Basa, Eugene Rabago, and John Babauta.
Alexa Fun & Surprises party rental company displays its merchandise.