{"id":2992,"date":"2014-07-11T07:39:27","date_gmt":"2014-07-11T11:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=2992"},"modified":"2020-07-11T13:02:22","modified_gmt":"2020-07-11T17:02:22","slug":"not-one-but-two-small-businesses-for-this-expat-trio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/not-one-but-two-small-businesses-for-this-expat-trio\/","title":{"rendered":"Not One but Two Small Businesses for This Expat Trio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Linda and Hellmut Pedersen and their expat venture in Panama called Chiriqui Mini Storage is a going concern between Boquete and David and has been for several years.\u00a0 However, now there is an interesting addition.<\/p>\n

To summarize:\u00a0 She was a gemologist in the US, he was a landscaper, among other ventures, and they met and married in the 1980\u2019s.<\/p>\n

After two years sailing around the world they settled in Washington State and pursued careers there.\u00a0 They became disillusioned with the cost of living, government red tape, and a stressful lifestyle so moved to Panama in 2005.<\/p>\n

\"Newell<\/a>After being in the real estate business for a short time they purchased a beautiful piece of property in Chiriqui province, filled it with shipping containers, and opened their doors for storage.\u00a0 In 2008 they acquired a partner, Penny Barrett, another US expat and it has been full steam ahead ever since.<\/p>\n

However, these energetic people are not ones to \u201crest on their laurels\u201d and are always searching for more unique projects to add to the business.<\/p>\n

When they purchased their property a small furniture building shop operated out of one end of it, complete with a large roofed enclosure.\u00a0 When this man relocated his business elsewhere the search was on for something to replace him.<\/p>\n

And, no surprise, they came up with an idea.\u00a0 Why not set up tables and put on a flea market?\u00a0 After researching the feasibility and legalities they went ahead in their own inimitable way.\u00a0 The area was prepared and tables were purchased.\u00a0 Advertising consisted mainly of a message on the local News Boquete website and word of mouth.\u00a0 They have perfect, visible highway access so erected a huge banner next to their mini storage sign announcing \u201cMercado de Pulgas\u201d or Flea Market for the first Sunday of every month.<\/p>\n

The tables are rented for a mere $5.00 plus an additional $2.00 if electrical hookup is needed.\u00a0 Each vendor is in charge of his own displays and sales.\u00a0 Some folks simply rent a spot and sell from the back of their vehicles.<\/p>\n

Linda, Hellmut, and Penny have a resident manager for the mini storage who is Panamanian.\u00a0 He does yard maintenance, security, and all pertinent duties.\u00a0 Now he and his family attend the gate, assist in setting up tables, sell hotdogs, and do whatever is necessary for the flea market as well.\u00a0 Consequently they not only provide full time employment but a free home for this grateful family.<\/p>\n

The flea market was an instant success.\u00a0 From the very first Sunday market all the tables were occupied and have been ever since.\u00a0 They now have not only crafts, clothing, housewares, books and DVD\u2019s, furniture, electronics, and plants vendors but food stalls as well.\u00a0 The delicious smells waft over the area as browsers wander through the merchandise tables and can have a choice of hotdogs, pizza, smoothies, brochettes, and tacos, as well as bottled water and soft drinks.\u00a0 This provides a platform for a monthly community event and this May marked the second year in existence.<\/p>\n

The gate opens at 10:00 am on market days. By 9:30 the highway is lined with cars and eager shoppers are lined up at the gate.<\/p>\n

Consumers and vendors include expats from as far away as Boquete and David (each approximately thirty five minutes away) and all points in between, as well as the local Panamanian families.<\/p>\n

It is a perfect Sunday outing and word has travelled fast.\u00a0 It is a chance to bargain hunt, visit, and have lunch all in one location.<\/p>\n

Such a simple premise and since they already owned the property their startup costs were very low. \u00a0Plus, it is excellent\u00a0 exposure for the storage business.<\/p>\n

Being friendly, easy-going, and genuine \u201cpeople persons\u201d they enjoy the camaraderie and hustle and bustle of their market days every bit as much as their vendors and customers do.<\/p>\n

Hellmut, Linda, and Penny all love Panama and would not consider returning to the US or Canada.\u00a0 And, knowing them, they will always be on the lookout for a new challenge and another income booster for their property.<\/p>\n

Which just goes to show that opportunities abound in this ever-developing country, whether it be a full out business or a small income addition.\u00a0 The opportunities are out there.\u00a0 All that is needed is an imagination and the knack for seeing a need and filling it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda and Hellmut Pedersen and their expat venture in Panama called Chiriqui Mini Storage is a going concern between Boquete and David and has been for several years.\u00a0 However, now there is an interesting addition. To summarize:\u00a0 She was a gemologist in the US, he was a landscaper, among other ventures, and they met and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":308,"featured_media":2993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[56,177,312,396],"yst_prominent_words":[14954,20895,1977,13530,20897,20893,8208,20902,20899,20898,1732,20900,20894,1888,14964,2100,20901,5439,16033,20896],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/308"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2992"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6632,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions\/6632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2992"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=2992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}