With businesses in the hospitality sector beginning to surface in Guyana with greater frequency these days, presumably out of anticipation that in the period ahead the economy will become more responsive to the services provided by that sector, the family associated with the Party Castle Supplies and Rentals, the Innis’, on Saturday evening hosted a lively reception to mark what their tastefully designed invitation announced as the “re-launching” of the enterprise.
The event was the outcome of a long-held concern on the part of the key mover behind Party Castle, Dianne Innis, that the Forshaw Street premises which, up until a matter of days, had served as the entity’s operations centre, did ‘less than justice’ to its marketing ambitions. As of last Saturday the Party Castle has been relocated to a more salubrious environment at 40 Eping Avenue, Bel Air Park, where Dianne says they are now far better positioned to “make a statement” about how they can help raise standards in the hospitality sector.
A matter of days before the event, Dianne and some of the closest members of her family, her mother Cynthia, sister Roxanna and brother William, had travelled from the United States where they reside to put the finishing touches to the spacious display space which now houses a wide array of accoutrements associated with tasteful entertainment.
Cynthia Innis, the pleasant laid-back matriarch of the family appeared suitably pleased with the accomplishment. She had given birth to seven children, she says, and had migrated in 1971. Her recollections of the Guyana she remembers are clear and coherent.
We spoke with her mostly about the family’s commitment to responding to the needs of underprivileged children in Guyana. The Innis’, apparently with the sister Roxanne at the helm, are in the habit of assembling barrels of ‘goodies’, shipping them to Guyana then arriving here to distribute to children in communities with which they are familiar including depressed pockets of Lombard Street.
Dianne, who spearheads the Party Castle initiative, late last year held a tasteful dinner for groups of children resident at the St. Ann’s Orphanage and Joshua House.
The business interests of the Innis’ also extend to The Candy Express, a small but attractive candy store situated at 35 King Street, across the way from St. George’s Cathedral which the Innis sisters say continues to do “quite well.”
Going forward, however, it is the setting of the Party Castle on a solid competitive footing that is the Innis’ foremost priority. Now comfortable in the space she has acquired to properly show off the Party Castle, Dianne says that the focus in the period will be on creating an image that will appeal to “people who are looking for high standards.”
Utensils and décor associated with entertainment-related events aside, Dianne is also urging potential clients to ‘have a tilt’ at some of her own cooking which she insists can do justice to the most high profile functions but which can only be available when she is in Guyana. She boasts openly about her proficiency in the preparation of prawns, crab and fish.
With the move to Eping Avenue Dianne has recruited a personable young man whom she says will serve as the local image-maker for the business. She is, she says, relying on him to reach out to what she believes is a growing and potentially lucrative market whilst she herself, even from the vantage point of the United States, intends to remain closely engaged with the establishment.
