A community group has paid tribute to the late founder of Dub City Variety convenience store for his contributions to Hamilton Parish.

Rise Tribe Bermuda named Kent “Dub” Outerbridge as the group’s Ujima Honouree for 2026 at an event with four generations of his family in attendance.

Thomas Smith, Mr Outerbridge’s nephew, described his uncle as a stalwart in the Bailey’s Bay community

“He started off as a businessman who wanted to impact his community and out of that came Dub City Variety,” Mr Smith said.

“We see on the hill the store that has served this community for 50 years.

“When you couldn’t go to MarketPlace because they were closed, Dub City was open.”

Mr Smith added that when the popularity of reggae grew in Bermuda in the 1970s, Mr Outerbridge was at the forefront of the local scene through Dub City Records.

“A lot of artists’ first time coming to Bermuda, they came because of Dub City International Records,” he said.

“Everything was happening because of Dub City.

“If you mention Bermuda to any reggae artist, they are going to mention Dub. They are going to mention Kent. They are going to mention Dub City. You can call names from Garnett Silk to Beres Hammond.”

Mr Smith said that outside the music world, Mr Outerbridge was committed to supporting his family and his community.

He said: “I saw him give to people. I saw him take care of families. I saw him look out for those in the community.

“We are talking about someone who loved his family and who loved his Bermudian people.”

Mr Outerbridge, who died in 2017 at the age of 64, opened his North Shore record store in 1974 and went on to operate two shops on Court Street.

He hosted concerts, bringing a variety of international acts to Bermuda.

The father of three was also credited as being a mentor for local musicians and DJs.

The Ujima Honouree annual event — named after the Swahili word for collective work — is intended to provide a space for parish residents, businesses and organisations to come together.

Previous honourees include Dean Furbert, a former principal at Francis Patton School, Harrison Isaac Sr, a well respected scout leader, and Franz Egenolf, a restaurateur.

The names of all honourees are included on a plaque at Scouter Isaac Community Park, which is on the Railway Trail near Francis Patton School.

Renee Isaac, chief encouragement officer for Rise Tribe Bermuda, which organises the recognition event, hoped that the Ujima model would be adopted by other communities around the island to bring neighbours together and pay tribute to people who have had an impact.