Sirena Soul Guam sales representatives Camille Yanger Quinata, left, and Ladera Linn are photographed by customer Judy Manibusan after a transaction during the Guam Unique Merchandise and Art Trade Fair at Agana Shopping Center in Hagåtña on Sept. 3, 2022.
To support and promote local businesses, Guam Unique Merchandise and Art, or GUMA, held a trade fair on Saturday at Agana Shopping Center in Hagåtña.
The fair showcased incubators, graduates and participants from its programs, the Entrepreneurial Training and Mentoring Program and the home-based business program known as I Bisinun Mami.
Of the 20 vendors at the fair, 15 are new companies, said Darlene Sanchez, program coordinator for GUMA.
Sirena Soul Guam sales representatives Camille Yanger Quinata, left, and Ladera Linn are photographed by customer Judy Manibusan after a transaction during the Guam Unique Merchandise and Art Trade Fair at Agana Shopping Center in Hagåtña on Sept. 3, 2022.
“When you are supporting these businesses you are supporting local,” she said.
Tables set up around the mall’s center court displayed an array of localized products and services like handcrafted jewelry, novelty candles and wax, dinanche pepper mash, books by local authors, handcrafted glass mosaics, hand-sewn clothing items and photography.
Since 2013, GUMA has provided free entrepreneurial training and mentoring to over 250 artists, cultural producers and entrepreneurs and has incubated 32 local businesses.
Camille Yanger Quinata represented the business Sirena Soul Guam during the event. She said the fair was a good opportunity to showcase the business’ handmade jewelry using shells and other local products to make bracelets, necklaces and rings.
She started the company with her mother in 2014 out of their house. They later received training and funding from GUMA.
“They teach you things like how to do marketing, create a business plan, understand your target market and also funding support for your business to really take off,” she said.
Sanchez said more trade fairs are planned as the number of local and home-based businesses grow.
“We will start doing village trade fairs, which will be for a specific village or it will be by region like northern, central or south. It would only be for home-based businesses from those areas,” said Sanchez.
The event also had live entertainment by Joe Guam and Tequila Sunrise, along with GUMA giveaways and raffles. The grand prize was a charcoal grill, cooler, pop-up canopy and bag of charcoal.
To see a list of local businesses affiliated with GUMA or to apply for one of their programs, visit www.gumaguam.com.
The trade fair was hosted in partnership with Pacific Daily News, Cool FM, Hit Radio 100, Mayors’ Council of Guam, Guam Economic Development Authority, 36th Guam Legislature, Administration for Native Americans and the Office of the Governor of Guam.
Pacific Daily News reporter Jackson Stephens covers poverty as a Report for America corps member. You can reach him at
Pacific Daily News reporter Jackson Stephens covers poverty as a Report for America corps member. You can reach him at jstephens@guampdn.com.
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