In the early 1980s, the company had received a blow from the closing of the Shell and Lago refineries on Curaçao and Aruba, two important customers, and the number of employees had dropped to just 74. The Antillian government sold the company to Texport/Unitex for only a quarter of the estimated value of 1,250,000 guilders, to ensure continued employment for the women. But the new company was unable to remain viable and closed the factory on 20 December 1991, sacking all 85 employees. Historic effect on Bonaire Ultimately, Bonaire turned out to be a bad location for a clothes factory. But for the women of Bonaire, who constituted a large part of the population, it was a blessing because it made them economically independent and socially emancipated. It had also laid a basis for other industries, with a better water and power infrastructure now in place. References This article is based on an extension of the 1966 M.A. thesis by drs. Christine W.M. Schunck. Companies of Bonaire History of the Netherlands Antilles