Sentir Cubano waited for this moment.
For more than a decade, the small shop near Little Havana that sells Cuban groceries and souvenirs has been patiently marketing a prized item: a party kit celebrating the death of Fidel Castro.
The “Viva Cuba Libre” kit retails for $24.99 and includes a bottle of apple cider labeled “Open only when Castro dies,” toilet paper emblazoned with the former dictator’s face, and a T-shirt that reads “Muerto el perro, se acabo la rabia” ( “When the dog dies, the rabies go away.”)
Sold separately: bottles of “Burn in Hell, Fidel” hot sauce.
On Saturday, with Castro finally dead after years of false alarms, owner Maria Vazquez said she sold 120 kits in the shop and more online. Her business, always strong on Thanksgiving weekend, soared 50 percent. She ran out of Cuban flags.
“It’s a way of finding closure for people,” said Vazquez, whose store and warehouse employ 13 people. “They are feeling proud of their roots. Even Venezuelans and Colombians wanted to have a Cuban flag.”
After Miami’s Wizard of Oz moment early Saturday morning, tens of thousands of locals spent the weekend on the street. Vendors hawked hats, water, flags and pins. Stores opened early and closed late.
That little pop of activity could give South Florida a short-term economic boost and lift consumer confidence, economists say.
“It’s tough to measure but major news events certainly stimulate spending,” said Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida. “A lot of consumer confidence is psychological.”
Snaith said news that brings communities together (he pointed to the Chicago Cubs winning a World Series after a 107-year championship drought) often provides a minor jolt to the economy.
“It opens up pocket books,” he said.