The Christmas season is upon us but with land borders closed and less people travelling abroad, gift shopping was made even more difficult.
And while downtown Belize looked more crowded than COVID regs should possibly allow - and shoppers were stuffing their stockings with imported items, many others followed the road less travelled by and decided to shop for locally made specialties.
It not only helps to fuel micro-enterprise, it also helps to put food on the table for small business owners. And with social media, shopping is made even easier.
So if you are still looking for that special gift, or want you just want to get a major head start on next year's presents, Courtney Menzies took a look at some Belizean made products.
If you're not sure what to buy your loved one for Christmas, you can never go wrong with Belizean made products.
Gifts ranging from jewelry to handbags are at your fingertips with social media, and it takes the hassle out of international shipping.
And, buying from a small business - such as Sol Handmade Jewelry - doesn't hurt either. Landee Longsworth said her business is only two months old, but Belizeans are chucking their gold and investing in clay - earrings, that is.
Landee Longsworth, Owner/Creator, Sol Handmade Jewelry
"It's going remarkably well, I'm actually surprised by the response from the public about the earrings. I didn't anticipate it doing this well and so for Christmas I have been working round the clock, I have a fulltime job, so I start producing the earrings in the evenings and sometimes I'm up until 3am working on these earrings but I love them and I'm happy that people are liking them as well."
Longsworth also told us what inspired her to venture down the path of entrepreneurship in the form of clay jewellery.
Landee Longsworth, Owner/Creator, Sol Handmade Jewelry
"I launched Sol in October and it was actually a quarantine baby. You know, during quarantine people were bored and wanted a hobby. I started of with gardening and I think I gardened at every square inch of my yard and I discovered Polymer Clay on TikTok believe it or not and I liked the idea and it's something that I thought I would enjoy doing and so I decided to take it up and started as a hobby and turned it into a business."
And in only two months, her business has blossomed into several different collections.
Landee Longsworth, Owner/Creator, Sol Handmade Jewelry
"During quarantine again, my brain was just going, I was thinking about all kind of things that could inspire a collection and the first thing that came to mind was the Belizean beautiful blue sea and so I started a collection called The Blues that has turquoise color, like a turquoise teal kind of color with white so I blend those in and turned them into a marble pattern. I have a Mamacita collection which is a very bright red and has some little floral accents to it."
"My most recent collection is my Golden Glitter collection and it's my christmas collection. I wish I had them in because I have a favorite pair that I'm actually raffling for the Christmas."
She plans to eventually expand into more than just earrings in the upcoming year.
And from jewelry to skin care - Hello Body Belize has been in business for four years and began when the founder, Kendra Griffith, struggled with her own skin-related issues. She began researching and experimenting using natural products and now she has products for every skin type.
Kendra Griffth, Founder/Owner, Hello Body Belize
"Friends started to give it to other friends, and family started to suggest it to other people and people started to place orders. And at first I wasn't sure how I felt about it, I was excited that people liked my products but it was also a hobby for me that was very therapeutic, i would lose myself just creating products but since 2016 we officially launched and it's been great, we've been growing, the support of Belizeans has been just wonderful."
And from facial products, they have expanded to include body and hair products as well.
Kendra Griffth, Founder/Owner, Hello Body Belize
"We focus on skin, body and hair and not only for females so this is a question we get all the time like do you have something for males, our products can actually work for males and females and we have products that are just family essentials for example I have, this is one of our most loved products that is not skincare based, while it does moisturize the skin, moms love it, it's called our buzz off insect repellent, and it's a favorite of our customers because its a two in one. It's also a insect repellent and its also a soothing spray."
In their stock, you can also find body washes, full face routines, athlete's foot spray, grooming products for beards, serums to grow hair, eyelashes and eyebrows, and much, much more. And if you're unsure of what your loved one needs, Hello Body Belize will work closely with you to find the perfect product.
And while there were no promotions this Christmas, that was for a good cause.
Kendra Griffth, Founder/Owner, Hello Body Belize
"Usually for christmas for the past 4 christmases however this christmas we didn't have, the reason for this is because we've been putting together different, we've put together events and collaborations as well as charity drives, putting a percentage of our proceeds towards raising funds for people and children who don't have as much, the less advantaged, and so we're creating fit baskets for kids and families as well."
Sol Handmade Jewelry sources clay from the US, while Hello Body Belize tries using local products.
This segment on Belizean made gifts will continue tomorrow, where we will showcase more artisanal products made by Belizeans for Belizeans.
