Small stores are increasingly popping up throughout Havana, many of them set up in homes or parking lots, as the private sector gains a foothold in Cuba’s cities.
Small businesses, which began licensing in 2021, are challenging companies run by a one-party state whose customer numbers are dwindling by the day as Cuba suffers from foreign currency shortages and high inflation amid the worst crisis. economy of the country in 30 years.
From parking lots, balconies or small rented shops, Cubans sell everything from candy to meat and dairy products to groceries that have become difficult to find elsewhere.
“If you need something that you can’t find in the state stores, the small stores have everything you need,” said María Leonor, 73, a customer of these small stores.
After six decades of state monopoly on commercial activity, the government approved in August 2021 the license to establish small and medium-sized businesses, according to the French.
