27 small biz take part in Christmas in July

08/27/205 – A total of 27 small business vendors took part in the CNMI Christmas in July event hosted by the CNMI Small Business Development Center last Aug. 22 at the Northern Marianas College As Terlaje campus’ V Building parking lot.

Taking part in the Christmas in July event were Sweet7Oh!, Bishu Marianas, Dae Jam Kum Catering, Rice2MeatU, Niao’s Poke Deli, Chance Boy’s, Tyler’s Gelatte Stone, Tropic Treats670, Tupu Cane Juice, Divine’s Essentials Food Truck, Ben Ki, The Kuxsins, Dube’s Smokehouse Tacos, Chiku Chiku, Krafting Littles, Mind2Muscle, NMC Cub of Artists, Papercraft with Jill, Robertoy, Alyssa’s Yam’s, Marianas Deals, Bobole’s Novelties, MCCREATIVENET, Paradise Lyric House, LLC, HIGHLANDS Crafts, and Patriots Bloom Nursery and Cokonut Express Trading.

CNMI SBDC network director Nadine Deleon Guerrero said the event was originally set for July 25, but was postponed due to weather advisories from Tropical Storm Kosra. 

She said the postponement of the national support local, support small businesses event, in the end, worked out for the better as SBCD was able to include some of the 14 small businesses that it admitted into the CNMI Innovation Incubator Program.

“I'm glad they get to participate, I'm glad they get to showcase their products, and people get to know more about them as a small business.”

Deleon Guerrero then thanked all the 27 small businesses that took part in the Saipan segment of the Christmas in July event.

“Small businesses are the backbone of every economy, which is really true. You know, without the support of small businesses being generated through, whether it's job creation, excise taxes, BGRTs, we won't have the support needed to fund a lot of our essential public services. So, it's so important that we pour into the small businesses, because in turn, they help fund our public sector. So very, very important, they play such a crucial role, and we don't take what we do at SBDC for granted.”

Tropic Treats670 owner Chrislane Lely, meanwhile, thanked SBDC for hosting an event that promotes small business owners like herself.

Lely said her company started in 2023 by initially selling candied fruit but has recently expanded to making pies. She plans to sell Tropic Treats 670’s products at the Sabalu Market and the Thursday Street Market in the future.

Owner Curtis Dancoe shared that the genesis of Niao’s Poke Deli was trying to recapture a piece of his childhood.

“It’s a childhood dream when I was a beach bum in Waikiki. Actually, it was something I grew up on. It was a comfort food in our house in Hawaii.”

Eventually, after making Hawaiian poke for the kids and extended family, they encouraged him to open a business, and 

that’s how Niaos Poke Deli came to be last May 1.

“People thought I was nuts to do something like this with the way the economy and everything are going. It's just amazing how the community opened up to it and said we’re really making a lot of people happy. The product is healthy, it's wholesome, it's nutritious.”

Daisy Demapan, owner, Bishu Marianas, for her part, said events like Christmas in the Marianas allow small businesses to introduce their products to the community. 

“We're glad that the SBDC has this event every year, and we get new customers and sort of connect with them and share our message of community.”

Demapan said her salt mix or asiga business started when she was taking up graduate studies in Arizona. Aside from pop-up events, Bishu Marianas is also available at Galaxy 2 in Garapan, Chalan Kiya Mobil, Kagman Mobil, and Tupu Cane Juice at the Marianas Business Plaza.

As to what Bishu Marianas is about, Demapan said basically it’s a “magic powder “that makes anything taste good. “You can use it on mango, you can use it in cucumbers, people even put it on chicken, they even put it on their soba. I have 

some people who also buy it, and they mix it with their bagoong.”

Cornessa Dela Cruz of Chance Boy’s said their small business recently started selling baked goods and occasionally local food plates, with plans to have a mobile trailer in the near future.

As for CNMI Christmas in July, Dela Cruz said the event is crucial in helping small businesses like Chance Boy’s get their products out to the community.

Owner Cherese Palacios said Mind2Muscle took part in the Christmas in July because it provided them with an avenue to personally meet customers. 

“It’s very important, not just to exposure our business but having that one-on-one meeting with our clients and they feel like they like to see our products, they like to test it, see it and, just talking to them one-on-one and seeing like how I can help them in terms of their fitness and their health and wellness.”

Mind2Muscle is a fitness and athleisure company promoting physical health and wellness. It sells fitness apparel and accessories at Latte Build 24-Hour Fitness.

Jordan Ruiz, aka Jordan Paradise, said he jumped on the opportunity to take part in Christmas in July to promote his independent record label.

“Events like these are very important to my brand because, as you know, the CNMI, this isn't really a normal thing that you see a lot at all, if any. So being out here and getting to, whether traffic's fast or slow, being here and being present and being able to show that this is a thing that we have out here in Saipan is obviously, it's a big step in the right direction,” he said.

As for Paradise Lyric House, Ruiz said it’s not only to promote all his recordings, but also to help local artists find their niche in the world. 

“It houses all of my music, all of my performances, as well as it also works to promote creative artistry in the community. I plan on opening a recording studio to record other artists and also host writing tutorials, lyric writing, kind of like lessons as well.”

Report by Mark Rabago