After 23 months of renovation, Curaçao’s Round Market, Marshe Rondo or Marshe Nobo, has finally reopened its doors. That is good news for Punda, good news for Willemstad and, potentially, very good news for small entrepreneurship.
A public market in the heart of the city should be exactly that: a place where someone with a good idea, a product and the willingness to work can take the first steps toward becoming an entrepreneur.
Fundashon Marshe itself describes its mission as empowering small entrepreneurs by providing affordable infrastructure and opportunities for businesses to grow. Its website even says that Marshe Nobo was originally created to help stimulate Curaçao’s economy and provides affordable spaces for entrepreneurs.
That makes what we observed after the reopening all the more worthy of discussion.
Walking through the renovated market, Curaçao Chronicle noticed that a large proportion of the vendors appeared to be immigrants, particularly from the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Legal residents who work, invest, pay rent and build businesses in Curaçao are part of our economy. Entrepreneurship should not be discouraged because somebody was born elsewhere.
But that is not the question.
The question is: where are the Curaçaoan entrepreneurs?
More than five million guilders later
This was not a simple coat of paint.
The renovation took far longer than originally anticipated and eventually cost more than XCG 5 million, more than one million above the initial budget, according to local reporting. The reopening had previously been expected in May but was postponed because of additional work, including problems involving the electrical infrastructure.
The road toward reopening was difficult for the vendors as well.
When merchants were moved out in 2024, there were immediate complaints about their temporary accommodations. Vendors complained about unhygienic conditions, pigeons, inadequate storage and security concerns. Some said promises made before the relocation had not materialized as expected.
Other reporting indicated that there was insufficient temporary space for everyone. Some merchants were moved to subsidized locations, while around 80 reportedly had to find alternatives themselves.
The problems continued.
The renovation suffered technical and financial delays. Some vendors reportedly stopped operating because their temporary locations were unsuitable for their businesses. A disagreement concerning electricity meters was also cited as one factor delaying completion.
Then, in January this year, fire damaged several stalls at the temporary market on Plasa Wilson “Papa” Godett. The government subsequently announced financial assistance for affected vendors.
As recently as July, MFK parliamentarian Sandy Losiabaar was asking the government to explain the continuing delays and the difficult circumstances in which vendors were working, including exposure to sun, rain and wind and possible security problems associated with operating with cash in an open public area
So yes, finally reopening this market deserves to be celebrated.
But after all of that public effort, public attention and public money, we should also be asking what the renovated market is supposed to accomplish.
A market should be an economic ladder
Economic Development Minister Roderick Middelhof has spoken extensively about the effort made to get the project across the finish line.
That is understandable. After years of difficulties, somebody had to push the project toward completion.
But completing the building is only half the job.
The success of Marshe Rondo cannot ultimately be measured by new stalls, fresh paint, better electricity or a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It should be measured by what happens economically inside that building.
If government is investing millions in a market intended to support small entrepreneurship, there should be a deliberate strategy for ensuring that Curaçaoans who want to start businesses can also get through the door.
Where is that strategy?
How many of the stalls are operated by Curaçao-born or locally established entrepreneurs? How many new local entrepreneurs received an opportunity following the renovation? What criteria were used to allocate stalls? Is there a waiting list? Are young Curaçaoans being actively recruited? Are first-time entrepreneurs being helped with permits, registration, bookkeeping and financing?
Those numbers matter.
We should not have to guess.
This is not about foreigners versus locals
This discussion needs to be handled carefully because it can easily become something it should not be.
Dominican and Haitian entrepreneurs are not the problem.
Many immigrant entrepreneurs work extraordinarily hard. They saw opportunities, took risks, built businesses and serve customers. If they qualified for stalls under the applicable rules, they should not be blamed for taking an opportunity that was available to them.
The more interesting question should be directed at our own institutions.
Why are we not seeing more Curaçaoans taking advantage of those same opportunities?
Perhaps locals applied and were rejected. Perhaps they did not apply. Perhaps existing tenants simply returned after the renovation. Perhaps the barriers to entry are too high. Perhaps younger Curaçaoans do not see a traditional market stall as attractive. Or perhaps there is no sufficiently active government program connecting aspiring local entrepreneurs with these affordable commercial spaces.
We should establish the facts before drawing conclusions.
But the visual impression after reopening is strong enough to justify asking the questions.
And this is not a new concern.
For years, Curaçao has talked about encouraging entrepreneurship among its own population. We tell young people that they should not depend exclusively on government jobs or established companies. We tell them to become entrepreneurs, create employment and build wealth.
Fine.
Then where are the accessible places for them to begin?
Marshe Rondo should be one of those places.
Don't just renovate buildings; build entrepreneurs
Fundashon Marshe says its mission includes providing affordable spaces where small entrepreneurs can thrive and attracting creative and innovative vendors
That mission should now become measurable.
Imagine reserving a portion of newly available stalls for first-time local entrepreneurs. Imagine a program in which MEO, Qredits and other organizations help them develop a business plan, register their company, obtain permits, understand taxes and bookkeeping, develop their products and survive those crucial first years.
Imagine giving young artisans, farmers, designers, food producers and other small Curaçaoan businesses a low-cost opportunity to test their concepts in the middle of Willemstad.
Not permanently subsidizing unsuccessful businesses. Not excluding foreigners. Not handing stalls to people simply because they were born here.
Creating an economic ladder.
Give people an opportunity, teach them how to use it and expect them eventually to stand on their own.
That would make a renovated public market part of economic policy rather than merely real estate.
Minister Middelhof's work is not finished
The minister deserves credit if his intervention helped bring a troubled 23-month renovation to completion.
But if he wants this project to become part of his economic legacy, opening day cannot be the finish line.
Now comes the more important question: who benefits?
After more than XCG 5 million has been invested and vendors have endured almost two years of disruption, Curaçao deserves to know what economic objective this market will serve over the next decade.
We hope Minister Middelhof and Fundashon Marshe will publish the composition of the market, explain how stalls are allocated and, most importantly, present a concrete program to bring more local entrepreneurs into Marshe Rondo.
Because there is nothing wrong with seeing a Dominican or Haitian entrepreneur earning an honest living inside our new market.
What should concern us is walking through a publicly supported marketplace in Curaçao and wondering why more Curaçaoans are not doing the same.
The building has been renovated.
Now let us renovate the opportunity.
Marshe Rondo should not simply be a nicer place to shop. It should be a place where Curaçaoans with ambition can start small, build something of their own and, hopefully, one day outgrow the stall where they began.