The vendors who occupied the old Festival Place building will in just a few days move their merchandise into the Nassau Cruise Port, and their retail experience and product placement will be elevated far above the wooden stalls they now occupy in Rawson Square.

Nassau Cruise Port Limited's (NCP) Communications Manager Amanda Freedman told Guardian Business yesterday that the entrepreneurs who will fill the spaces of the cruise port's marketplace have completed bookkeeping and inventory management courses. They have also met with a merchandising expert to ensure they maximize the aesthetics of their storefronts.

Those merchants are also expected to ensure that all of their merchandise remains authentically Bahamian.

"So everything is about elevating the experience, but also elevating their offering," said Freedman.

"Everything's authentically Bahamian. That is the mandate that was set forth by the Authentically Bahamian Advisory Committee. Pam Burnside, being the matriarch of all things culture, she's the chairwoman of that committee."

She added: "You won't find big luxury brands in our space. It's all about authenticity and about unique offerings for people that touch our shores, because we want there to be no mistaking that they're in Nassau."

NCP assisted the marketplace vendors through a $1 million donation to the Access Accelerator, which gave out small business grants to those that qualified to help them outfit their spaces.

The vendors have been given booths that are ten by 15 feet, with a back room area for storage. The spaces also feature doors and windows strong enough to protect them from strong hurricane winds.

The vendors will also be subject to spot checks and secret shopper evaluations to ensure they are adhering to the mandate to provide only authentically Bahamian products.

The new cruise port has also elevated the experience for hair braiders, with a newly designed area that will be reminiscent of a salon. NCP CEO Mike Maura Jr. said this new area for hair braiders will feature a check-in desk to eliminate the need for loud and forceful solicitation of cruise guests.

He said the idea is to ensure cruise guests have an experience at the port free from harassment.

"What we're working to do in partnership with the Hair Braiders Association is also elevate this experience as well, and move away from ladies that are simply trying to put food on the table, trying to, you know, pay school fees and pay the light bill, and give them more of a boutique experience where they almost have their own individual salon in this particular area," said Maura.

"There are many guests that want to get their hair braided, because they actually want to go back onto the ship with something that they've kind of purchased and experienced here in Nassau. And each of these areas will have a customized bench that will be able to handle the adults and also the children. And obviously with water and drainage, and a place for supplies and the beads and so forth.

"And also Ed [Fields] is working on a customer service desk... What that does is mitigate the potential for [women screaming], 'get your hair braided, get your hair braided', to something that's more organized."

Maura said it is NCP's hope that the upgraded space will help the hair braiders to double their income.

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