São Paulo Residents Take Advantage of Boom in Sales of Carnival Accessories

02/20/2017 - 11h08

When the store where she used to work closed at the end of last year, stylist Bel Bevilacqua, 27, thought ahead. What if she were to take advantage of the giant street Carnival in São Paulo to make a profit?

With tiaras full of feathers, some laden with ribbons for the Patron Saint Bonfim or "Good End," along with flowers and fruit, her online store, opened just three weeks ago, has flourished. She has sold 130 pieces since it opened.

Both Carnival and pre-Carnival push sales, says Bevilacqua. "People are already dressing up and Carnaval has not even started. They want to invest in it," she says.

Last year, there was a visible presence of unemployed people who decided to sell drinks during Carnival to make some extra cash. In 2017, the number of licensed city vendors more than doubled: this year there will be 8,000, compared to the 3,775 in 2016.

With the expansion of Carnival in the city, residents of the city of São Paulo, also known as Paulistanos, are jumping to the opportunity to sell costumes and accessories, in addition to offering services such as makeup application on floats and costume workshops.

PURPLE BEARDS

Anyone who heads to Cordão Cecília on Carnival Saturday, will be able to create carnavalesque makeup and hairdos, along with purple beards -a trend from last year- with barber Juliano Tibúrcio, 41. The float will pass by his barber shop. "A lot of people do not arrive in costume, but change their mind once they are there and want to do something fun," he says.

Tax assessor Bruna Martins, 30, has already created a name for herself through the appeal of the "gourmet" popsicles she sells in Carnival sections. A plaque reads: "Suck, Doria"- "for refined taste like his," says her boyfriend, who did not want to be identified.

Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ

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