Miscellaneous Services Shop "ELEGANT".

Hello #MarketFriday Challenge friends from @dswigle! 🤩

On a daily shopping trip for the house, I came across a small shop that sells fabrics, clothing and accessories for making handicrafts at home. I share with you my experience in this shop.

This is the façade of the shop, which faces the front of the "José Martí" park in Santiago de las Vegas.

The sign informs:
Miscellaneous Services Shop. "ELEGANT". Leased.

The premises are state-owned and leased to natural persons (cooperative type).

When you enter through the door of the sign you have this view on your right. It is a shelf displaying shoes on its upper part and on its lower part we can find several rolls of fabric lace tips, paper lace tips and elastics. On the table (where the orders to be purchased are measured) there are also other cuts of elastics of different widths and colours.

Next, on the same shelf, spools with threads in various colours, other fabric stitches such as embroidered strips and lace in different widths.

Perpendicular to this table is a glass display case with beads, pearls, flowers, bows, needles, buttons, scissors, buckles and other accessories to decorate clothing and jewellery.

It is a very popular place, especially among women, as we are the ones who are most dedicated to sewing and handicrafts, although men also dare to carry out these tasks and do really beautiful work.

On the walls are hung some of the sets of sheets and duvets. These hangers are displayed just behind the windows, but they are not very well stocked, because in conversation with the manager, she told me that they have been buying goods from abroad for a long time and have not been able to import them.

Entering through the other door of the shop we can find beautiful fabrics in rolls and also more garments. Various fabrics can be found here to make curtains, tablecloths, sheets and even garments.

The owner of the shop told me that almost everything sold in her shop is imported from Panama. She buys this merchandise in dollars and then sells it here in Cuban pesos. The equivalence of these currencies is: 180 Cuban pesos ~ 1 US dollar. This is in the illegal market, as it is difficult to obtain it in the currency exchange houses because it is scarce. Logically, when this conversion is made and all the direct and indirect expenses of travel, lodging, food, etc., plus the purchase and the percentage of the profit is added, it has a very violent effect on the price that the client receives in the shop.
Inflation is a very hard reality for Cubans, but there are still those who opt for these purchases to add colour to their lives and decorate their existence.

I bought some of these coloured ribbons to decorate my baby's hair.

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Create your way and live your creation, it's your life, live it!