Small shops boom as Cuban private sector takes hold
After six decades of state-owned commerce, in August 2021 Cuban government allowed small businesses – Copyright AFP Yamil LAGE
Leticia PINEDA
Like mushrooms after the rain, small stores are springing up all over Havana, many run from homes or garages as the private sector finally gains a foothold in communist Cuba.
Small businesses, only authorized in 2021, are mounting a challenge to companies run by the one-party state which are emptier every day as Cuba battles a shortage of foreign currency and sky-high inflation amidst its worst economic crisis in 30 years.
From garages, porches or small rented shops, Cubans sell anything from beers and sweets, meat, dairy and groceries that are becoming increasingly difficult to find elsewhere.
“If you need something you can’t find (in the state-run stores), they have it! They have the things you need,” client Maria Leonor, 73, told AFP as she emerged from one of the new private outlets.
