A group of 50 women will be selling their handcrafted goods at the Zoco Bazaar market, which takes place today starting at 10 am at Villa Maori in Santa Ana.
The Tico Times spoke to Rosanna Modenesi, organizer of the event. The idea of Zoco Bazaar started about two years ago, beginning as a small bazaar made up of friends and family members who sold various products.
“It began growing, so we decided to expand it and start a Facebook page to promote our market,” Modenesi told the Tico Times. “The idea of this bazaar is to have women who dedicate themselves to their households and children, yet have a small business going on. We want to be able to get together every three months and on certain special days such as Christmas, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Women’s Day so that everyone gets to know our products.”
Some of the women participating are foreign residents of Costa Rica who have brought products from their home country along with them, or produce their own goods based on techniques they have learned from their own cultures, giving the bazaar a rich cultural diversity.
Zoco Bazaar works with the Fundación Daadios, donating some of the profits from the event to help the nonprofit organization to offer scholarships to low-income high-school students.
And the name? “Zoco” is “souk” in English, from the Arabic word for craft markets in that country. It refers to the markets that take place on certain days during the week, and in which people often gather to socialize – a vibrant setting Modenesi and her artisan colleagues are working to recreate in Costa Rica.
Zoco Bazaar runs today, Thursday, starting at 10 am at Villa Maori in Santa Ana. Pass the entrance to Momentum, continue for 20 meters and look for a yellow house on the right. For more information visit the Zoco Bazaar Facebook page.
