Bringing a touch of North Africa to Bermuda is the aim for the owners of a Moroccan-themed market in Hamilton.

Marrakech Market was launched earlier this month by Faisal Baia — originally from the Moroccan city of Marrakesh — along with Bermudian, Juliette Oatley.

The market is located in the Emporium Building, on Front Street.

Mr Baia and Ms Oatley met five years ago and developed a partnership. The idea came about when Mr Baia began bringing gifts from his country to loved ones on the island.

“I started bringing items from Morocco to the island and people kept asking about them so I would bring more and they would sell quickly,” he said.

The pair decided to team up and sell them through various social media outlets.

They started to build an online community and gained popularity from both locals and overseas suppliers.

“We have a certain designer in Morocco who contacted us through social media,” Mr Baia said. “They create exclusive pieces and asked us if we would be a supplier here in Bermuda. So we are in the beginning stages of talking to him about that.”

Having built up their clientele, the pair started to think about opening a physical location as they saw a niche in the market for this type of business in Bermuda.

The Front Street premises became available at the right time the pair grasped the opportunity.

Ms Oatley said: “We spent a lot of time on weekends upstairs at Flanagan’s and it just seemed like the right timing for this space to become available.

“It’s a good-size space, because it’s small enough for us to continue what we have and we don’t have to have too much product, so we can test the market on things.”

Some of the items being sold are accessories, such as bags and jewellery for both men and women, floor proofs, unique handbags, leather shoes, scented Moroccan oils, Moroccan blankets and more. They also make special orders for customers.

The pair stressed that they do not buy from Moroccan markets but from the makers themselves to ensure the items are authentic.

They accept cash and bank cards, and have gift tickets available.

“With Mother’s Day coming up we decided to supply gift certificates,” Ms Oatley said.

Right now they do not have set hours, as they both work full time, but let their followers on social media know when they will be available.

“The only consistent day we work all day is on Saturday, but during the summer we plan to have someone working for us full time,” Ms Oatley said.

• For more information, call 519-7839 or visit Facebook, BermudaMarrakechMarket, or Instagram, marrakech_market_bermuda