A visitor should also visit the Chamorro Village in Hagatna for a different experience, away from the hustle of Tumon Bay. Wednesday night is an especially good time to visit as hundreds of residents and visitors come down to the village to eat, be entertained and see what’s for sale at the dozens of tables manned by all sorts of vendors.

The Chamorro Village is located on the ocean side of Marine Drive, adjacent to the Hagatna Boat Basin, the Paseo Stadium baseball field and the Paseo traffic loop with the prominent statue of Chief Quipuha. I. Sengsong Chamorro—its Chamorro name—is made up of 39 concrete shop buildings with a large open-air pavilion/dining area in the center.

Though storms and Guam’s poor economy have resulted in vacancies and the need for some minor repair work, 32 vendors operate businesses Monday through Saturday.

Officially, the market is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, visitors are best advised to come around lunch time or on Wednesday night, as many merchants keep irregular hours, especially with the current low number of tourist arrivals.

The area had been a public market for years in much less substantial structures that were subject to the ravages of typhoons and fire. In 1992, funds from the U.S. Economic Development Agency were used to begin construction on the Chamorro Village as it now exists. Then-Governor Joseph F. Ada presided over the grand opening on December 2, 1994. The market was managed by the Guam Department of Commerce until last year, when it was placed under the Department of Chamorro Affairs. It was conceived as an incubator area for small businesses and an outlet for local products. Regulations state that businesses that successfully operate in another location for two years must move out of the village and one-year leases may not be renewed after 10 years.

Resembling an open-air food court—without the fast food franchises—the village food shops are a favorite with Hagetqa area workers who spend their lunch hour eating in the pavilion or hurry off with bags of Styrofoam containers holding the barbecued ribs, fried fish, pancit, kelaguen, stir-fry chicken and rice for which their co-workers are undoubtedly waiting. An Italian restaurant just opened, adding that cuisine to the Chamorro, Filipino, Korean and Jamaican mix that are already popular.

The market is also a good place to pick up Guam souvenirs, handicrafts and other goods not easily found elsewhere on the island. Tour buses make regular stops at the village, both as shuttles from the hotels and as a stop on some organized tours. However, shop owners say that most of their business comes from local residents, Guamanians residing elsewhere and military personnel—all looking for unique Guam mementos and gifts.

In 1998, the village management began the Wednesday Night Market, which has been enormously successful. In addition to the regular shops which are at their busiest, 80-plus entrepreneurs show up to sell their wares from tables along the walkways. Entertainment is scheduled, often at a couple of venues in the village. And hundreds, mostly local residents, show up to eat, shop and enjoy. “We’re thinking of extending it to Friday nights,” says Victor Duenas, Chamorro Village manager. “A lot of the merchants want another night and we’re told that we miss a lot of tourists that are not here in the middle of the week.”

The regular shops include Chill Out, with a surprisingly large variety of kites and related items; Micronesian Goldsmith, selling jewelry with Guam designs made by owner Andre Parent; Miyako Imports, with Japanese kimonos and gifts; Guihan Guam, sellers of fresh fish; and The Guam Gallery of Arts, which offers the paintings, drawings, photos, batiks, and carvings of dozens of Guam artists. The Guam Museum has its displays set up in one of the village buildings.

One of the successful family-owned shops is the Che’lu store. The name is Chamorro for brother or sister and can be used to address anyone of the same age group. “It’s a positive, inclusive word,” says Lee Rosario, shop manager. In 1995, then 16-year-old Rosario, using computer graphics, created the Che’lu logo that incorporates an ancient Chamorro chief, sling stone and fish hook into a tight, modern design that has become popular with young people. Jose Rosario, Lee’s father, is an artist who creates replicas of Chamorro artifacts from stone and wood. The family (Jose and wife Elizabeth and brother Chris) opened the shop in the Chamorro Village in 1998. “Caps, tee shirts and stickers with our logo are by far the biggest sellers,” says Lee. In addition to Jose’s creations, the shop also carries items made by other local artists and displays antique items.

Another family-run shop is Ifit Addao Yan Famaguon (Tree, Sun and Children) featuring the ifit wood carvings of owner Mary Camacho, an Army retiree. Ifit is an extremely hard wood indigenous to Guam and is prized as a carving medium. It is long lasting and becomes darker and harder with age and it has become quite scarce. Camacho bought 139 of the trees in 1986 and is still using the pile to produce her work, which she designs and chisels herself. The shop also features Camacho’s acrylic paintings and hand-painted postcards. In addition, she sells a variety of other gifts and souvenirs both locally made and imported.

Guam’s only woman ifit carver learned the craft from her grandfather and her father and is passing it on to her granddaughter. The shop is tended by 18 of Camacho’s young relatives—her three sons, nieces, nephews and cousins. The store has been at the location since the village opened.

The most successful food vendor in the village is the Jamaican Grill. Owners Tim Murphy and Frank Kenney met while both were working at the Guam Hilton Hotel. The two friends got hold of some Jamaican spices, experimented with “jerk” chicken and ribs, and realized that the spicy taste would be pleasing to local palates. Combining the jerk barbecue with fresh fruit salads and drinks and adding a fun, islandy, reggae atmosphere, the restaurant has become the largest business in the village.