The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

AML opened the doors to its new $4m Solomon’s food store in the Winn Building yesterday, signalling the long-awaited rebirth of downtown Freeport for many Grand Bahamians.

Following a brief ceremony and official ribbon cutting, residents flocked inside the newly designed and modern building to shop. Some 60 persons are employed at the location.

Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey, Gavin Watchorn, CEO of AML Foods Ltd, and Damien Butler, of Milo Butler Investments, which owns the Winn Building, attended the opening.

Mr Watchorn was pleased that their investment has revived the downtown area.

“We are excited that we are finally open, and we are pleased for the people of Grand Bahama,” he told The Tribune. “This is a great day for us, but it is a great day for them.

“This building has always been iconic to the Grand Bahama community and downtown, and we are really pleased that our investment has sparked life back into this area.”

Mr Watchorn said the 60 employees hired at the location are all Grand Bahamians. He also noted that their management team was internally groomed and are all promoted up as part of a succession training programme.

The new downtown location, he said, is a new concept, but with the same great savings and value that is at all their Solomon’s stores.

“It is a little bit smaller with a lot more efficiency, but all the great things you would see at Solomon’s are here.”

He noted that the Solomon’s rewards programme is also at the new location.

Shopper Edward Williams said: “It is great for downtown, I remember Winn Dixie, City Market was here and now Solomons, it is a great day for Grand Bahama.”

Mr Williams also operated a small business shop downtown for many years and believes Solomon’s will bring more people back to the area.

“I have been here since 1973 and I have been looking forward to this,” he said.

Judy Dawkins and her husband Chef Dawkins, of Jujus Garden, were also among the crowd of shoppers inside.

“I am very happy with the opening of this store downtown. I feel like downtown has come alive again. It is a beautiful store and I love it,” Mr Dawkins said.

Mr Dawkins said it saves him the trip from going all the way to Solomon’s Lucaya on Seahorse Road.

Ms Moxey said the opening of the new Solomon’s location will be the engine for commerce in the downtown area.

“It has been such a great pleasure that I stand to witness the official opening of Solomon’s downtown,” she said. “This moment brings downtown alive.”

She believes the food store will serve as a lifeline for downtown, attracting people from West and East End to shop and provide robust business for public transportation providers, such as public buses and taxicab drivers.

Franklyn Butler, chairman of AML Foods Ltd, said that the vision and reality of the new downtown location comes three years after the owners lost the Queen’s Highway location during Hurricane Dorian.

He recalled contacting Gavin Watchorn about moving Solomon’s to downtown instead of the East West Highway.

Mr Butler said that the GB Port Authority provided some meaningful incentives, and that the government was able to relocate some of the government agencies to the new Winn Building, with the help of the Minister for Grand Bahama.

Mr Butler said AML Foods is committed to the City of Freeport, the community, and its economy.

He noted that the creation of 60 new jobs, brings the total number of employees to 250 on Grand Bahama.

“We are building lives and people in the process. AML’s investment has been in excess of $4m, and of that spent, in excess of 90 percent of the project teams were local Grand Bahamians and businesses,” Mr Butler explained.

Additionally, he noted that in 2021, AML spent more than $1m to renovate the Solomon’s Lucaya location and has earmarked an additional $500,000 for Cost Right in Freeport for 2023.