27 January - 2 February 2000

Bay Street investing heavily in artisan market

by Franco Aloisio

Bay Street in St George's Bay, due to open in November 2000, will be investing heavily in Malta's cultural heritage through the setting up an artisan market in the heart of this development.

The Artisan Market will be the soul of Bay Street, according Bay Street's marketing manager Chris Grech.

"It will stand as a metaphor of the Maltese village church. Bay Street's design of the Artisan Market is inspired by the traditional scenario of the Maltese pjazza," he said.

The Artisan Market will be a hub, a meeting place for a community of fun lovers, vendors, barterers, shoppers and celebrators of good taste. It will be a platform for buskers, actors and street performers. Mr Grech said that the Artisan Market will strive to promote Maltese arts and crafts and guarantee quality and distinction of product and customer service.

The Artisan Market will the first of its kind in Malta. It will serve also to promote other cultural and folklore activities going on all around the island.

Bay Street has hired the talent of Ray Bajada to run, animate and cultivate the Artisan Market. Mr Bajada, a craftsman in his own right, is also a TV documentary presenter and producer. "I feel thrilled by the challenge. At last, this will be my opportunity to raise the reputation of the quality of Maltese arts and crafts," Mr Bajada said.

He has just returned from London where he had extensive meetings with BDG McColl, Bay Street's design consultants, to finalise and execute the planning and logistics of the Artisan Market project.

Bay Street, which will be Malta's first edutainment mecca, will include a discovery centre, a family entertainment centre, leisure and lifestyle retail outlets, theme bars, restaurants and a language school with accommodation.