LIKE many women who enjoy selling products from their hard work and hand given talents Judy Stanley is one of them.

She has a stall at Art Gallery where she sells products ranging from weaved bags, traditionally made baskets, hand woven blouses, sarongs (lava lava) and local accessories like necklaces, earrings, cup and table mats and carvings.

Ms Stanley began selling food covers, woven bags and traditionally made hand bags back in 2005. These were her first line of products.

As time passed, she ventured into other products. She began to dye fabrics and make sarongs and sewed blouses. This was only the second course of her journey. Not after long, she made local baskets from local material particularly, pandanus leaves.

Ms Stanley said a major challenge she came across was how she would utilize money earned from her products given that she had to figure out what materials she would spend her money on thus also create a budget that she can work with.

She said she had to make sure she spent her money wisely so that her stall wouldn’t be empty.

Ms Stanley said the fastest products to make are the woven bags, sarong (lava lava) and blouses.

In the case of carvings she mentioned that she joined the Solomon Islands Arts Association and bought carvings, necklaces and earrings.

Ms Stanley also she orders some of her carving items from her island home, Marovo, Western province. She said when she orders she usually notifies the carvers of the specific design she desires on the carving.

Ms Stanley added that she sometimes bring them the material, a specific kind of wood.

She stated that the products which sell fast are the woven bags, sarongs, blouse and traditionally made hand bags.

As for carvings, Ms Stanley said some locals buy the carvings and tourists when they visit the country.

Ms Stanley began selling her products under a huge abololo tree, today her stall which caters to a variety of items stands right across from that tree.

The colourful display of different local products is sure a breath of fresh air but it all started with small beginnings and like any beginning, with challenges.