When we started Bargain Bazaar, the vision was never just to create a market day where entrepreneurs could set up tables, display their products and make sales.
We wanted to create a process.
A process where someone could start with an idea, test their products, meet customers, learn how to sell, build confidence, make connections and, eventually, feel ready to take the next big step in their journey.
One of the stories that reminds us why this matters is that of Irene Abwonti.
Irene joined the Bargain Bazaar community in 2025, bringing with her a passion for handmade crafts that started when she was just in Grade Three. Her journey began by helping her mother with her handmade jewelry business. What started as a simple family activity gradually became a passion of her own. By Grade Four, Irene was already making her own necklaces and bracelets and selling them at school bazaars. Years later, that childhood passion became a business.
Through Bargain Bazaar, Irene had the opportunity to showcase her handmade jewelry and expand her creativity into custom gypsum décor for bakhour (incense) and home spaces.
But perhaps one of the most important things she gained was not just the opportunity to sell. She gained confidence.
As Irene reflects on her experience, she says Bargain Bazaar taught her how to connect with people, interact with customers and understand the realities of running a business. And now, Irene is preparing to take another major step.
She is leaving to pursue her degree in Software Engineering in Europe, combining her creativity with a passion for technology. For us, this is what entrepreneurship is also about. Sometimes, the business you start today becomes the confidence you need to pursue something greater tomorrow. And the beautiful thing is that Irene is not leaving her creativity behind. She tells Bargain Bazaar that she plans to continue crocheting and creating while she is at university. That means this may not be goodbye to entrepreneurship, it may simply be the beginning of a new chapter.
Irene, we have genuinely enjoyed having you as part of the Bargain Bazaar community. Watching young entrepreneurs discover their abilities, gain confidence and move forward toward bigger dreams is one of the most rewarding parts of building this platform. We are proud of you, and we wish you every success as you begin this new chapter in Europe. Keep learning. Keep creating. Keep becoming.
And to every entrepreneur reading this today:
Never underestimate what can happen when you give yourself permission to start.
Your first market day might not be your final destination. It might just be the beginning.
