Bahamas News
Oasis Collection opens in Sandyport after local entrepreneur returns home from journey across the globe
Bahamas, March 28, 2017 – Nassau – After two years of jockeying full-time work with travel that took her 5,000 miles, Bahamian entrepreneur, Brooke Phillips, is back home, realizing a decade-long dream and making a splash in the local design marketplace. Her dream — to open an interior design store filled with furniture and home accessories of natural hard woods and eco-friendly materials, contemporary design and organic feel.
In late February, she opened the doors to Oasis Collection, One Sandyport Plaza, a 2,264-square foot emporium featuring one-of-a-kind pieces and hand-hewn crafted works of furniture art, soft fabrics and textures, copper lights and tables, stone sinks, a look as natural as it is classic. Oasis Collection is also providing the first retail showplace for handcrafted wood designs by local artisan Morgan McKinney carved from trees native to The Bahamas. McKinney Designs maximizes the beauty of wood grains in items as small as coasters and as grand as a dining room table for eight.
Phillips, 31, began learning the furniture business after graduating with honours from Eckerd College with a degree in Business. As manager of her father’s company, Phillips Sailmakers & Awning Manufacturers and its subsidiary Oasis Chic Living, she handled measurements, fabrics, foam, construction and installation of awnings on residences, resorts and commercial buildings.
But it wasn’t until she tried to furnish her own first home, a modest two-bedroom condo and couldn’t find pieces or accessories she liked that she realized there was a gap in the local market. “This store began like a lot of businesses do in Nassau,” said Phillips, a certified Home Stager who has designed furniture packages for a successful large-scale development in Nassau. “I couldn’t find what I needed here at home where I would prefer to shop. I knew that if I couldn’t find it, then other Bahamians probably couldn’t either.” The furniture she found, she said, felt heavy and outdated. “Many of the stores were carrying the same styles. I believed there was room for improvement.” With taste that tended toward contemporary, light, stylish and natural, Phillips began a journey that took her more than halfway around the world on four occasions.
“It sounds crazy,” she said. “Most people who travel 5,000 miles at a time are in it for the adventure and excitement. They may be ticking off something on their bucket list. I literally went in search of a better bucket.”
From Nassau to Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, Phillips tracked down craftsmen’s work places, and trekked through hilly villages, some so remote that they had never seen a white person before. “I was very touched by a lot of the encounters and especially when the interpreter said that the toothless woman who was following me and grinning wanted to know if she could touch my dimples. She didn’t think they could be real.” Through the interpreter, Phillips told her yes and as the two women from different cultures connected, Phillips knew that the quest was about more than just furniture.
Not all of the furniture in Oasis Collection has been found so far off the beaten path. Phillips has also sourced pieces from the finest woodcraft shops in High Point, North Carolina and she has brought in hard woods from Canada.
Now in the shop nestled below Club One in Sandyport, the space emits a welcoming and natural vibe. Phillips and her partner Matthew Pyfrom spent endless hours creating the interior, transforming shipping pallets they collected into counters and display cases. A ‘grass’ wall adds to the ambience. Copper lights hang from the ceiling. Dividers constructed of pallet board topped with heavy braided rope add to the natural and contemporary feel.
In the month since its grand opening that attracted a standing room only crowd, Oasis Collection has attracted individuals, design firms and at least two commercial clients, a high-end Family Island resort and a condo development. “I am in that group of Bahamian millennials who came back home to The Bahamas after college and want to give it my all,” said Phillips. “I just hope that my all is good enough.”
#Oasiscollection
#BrookePhillips
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
