St Bess siblings bet on Black River

The sibling team of Christos and Melisha Brown is collaborating in law and in business. They were doing well in their law practice but have recently been wooed by the challenge and adventure of the competitive hardware trade, setting up shop in Black River.

Two years on, Precision Hardware, which sits at the corner of Central and Logwood roads, is making “a small profit,” according to the co-managing directors, who are keen on maintaining this momentum in Black River, an emerging commercial hub shaking off its traditional descriptor of being a sleepy rural town.

“We are projecting to increase sales by 20-30 per cent by the end of the year,” Christos predicted.

“We are currently seeking further financing to increase stock, and before the end of the year, a delivery truck should be acquired to increase deliveries, particularly beyond the confines of Black River, and at minimal cost to the customer,” Melisha added.

Seated in the small, shared space at the hardware store, out of which they manage the business and see clients in their legal practice, our conversation is punctuated by the honking of horns and occasional shouts of passing pedestrians – typical of a bustling town.

Having decided to start the business, the Browns closed their law office in Santa Cruz and consolidated their practice and the hardware at a single location in Black River.

MOTIVATION

Why take on this challenge when they were doing well in their law practice? Christos explained that their father inspired them to choose this course.

As it turns out, their father is attorney-at-law and former member of parliament for St Elizabeth South West and, later, St Elizabeth North West, Melford Brown, known to everyone as ‘Mel’.

“He has always told us that we cannot depend on one source of income or one thing to survive, he himself being an attorney. So we saw the opportunity and we just decided that this is something that we’d take on,” his son said.

That opportunity – the hardware store – was an established enterprise, but one which had gone through name and location changes in a decade of operation.

Melisha Brown tells a familiar tale common to most start-ups - the difficulty of sourcing funds from commercial banks, “because they wanted history, projections and documentary evidence, which were not available”.

So, they turned to the local credit union. Now that the business has established a two-year track record, the commercial banks are quite keen on offering financing.

“We have to do business with these commercial banks because we do business with other companies which bank with them, and so we have established accounts with them and use their card machines, so they are seeing the growth of the business for themselves,” Melisha explained.

DIVERSIFICATION

Today, Precision Hardware employs four full-time workers and three on a part-time basis. The owners predict that with expansion and diversification, they could hire even more people.

The business supplies the usual range of hardware items, from construction to electrical, plumbing, tiling, plus paving stones, which, according to Christos, no other hardware in the area provides. For the future, they are looking to broaden their offerings to satisfy the growing demand for home decor items.

“Perhaps influenced by programmes on HGTV and others, many more Jamaican householders are getting into interior decorating; that’s definitely something that I’m looking at. I do like that area also, so I’m reading, getting more familiar myself in order to serve my clients,“ she said.

“Many people are getting into DIY (do-it-yourself) as well and sometimes need special support, and we are prepared to give that support,” Christos added.

Their customers are from Black River and its environs, including districts like Brompton, White Hall, New Market, Vineyard, and Arlington.

Their plan to acquire a delivery truck will obviously extend the company’s reach, even as they contemplate opening a second store in the parish.

FAITH IN BLACK RIVER

Black River, the historic parish capital, remains good for business, in Christos’ estimation.

“Over the two years, we have seen growth. I guess it is evident in the purchases we make as well; our numbers have increased. We have established a good relationship with our suppliers from whom we’ve garnered credit, so I guess it shows that the business is growing, and the traffic is growing as well.”

“Black River, as a community, we tend to support each other … we try to help each other’s business to grow,” said Melisha.

Much of that support is facilitated through membership of, and participation in, the Black River Chamber of Commerce, of which Christos Brown is second vice-president.

He cited a recent seminar on business and human capital solutions, customer service “and how to develop your business and improve employee-customer relations” as an example of how the chamber supports its members.

Additionally, the chamber has established a WhatsApp platform with more than 100 members, mainly businesses operators in the parish and some in the diaspora, that helps with marketing.

Another chamber initiative is the annual Black River Day, which is a sales booster for businesses.

Throughout the interview, the smiling siblings exuded an easy rapport. They have maintained a close relationship throughout all phases of schooling - preparatory and high school, as well as university and law school.

“He’s older by two years, but I’m older than him in some ways, and he kept asking me to join him wherever he went,” she said, teasingly. There was no demurral from the smiling Christos. He acknowledged, however, that even among family members, there are disagreements sometimes in the running of a business, “but we’re always able to work those out”.

The Browns are passionate about Black River and are eager to contribute to the 21st-century development of their historic town.

Melisha expressed that commitment in passionate terms: “We were born in Black River; we’ve grown up in Black River; our family is a Black River family … . I can’t see myself living anywhere other than Black River, so in whatever way we can help the community and build Black River, that is my goal.”