‘We are struggling’

Cultural music blaring from speakers within the Kingston Craft Market near the waterfront has done little to pique the interest of residents, tourists or passers-by to drop by and make purchases.

With the nation celebrating its 60th year of Independence this year, vendors had been hoping for a boom in sales as Jamaicans and visitors buy Jamaica-branded paraphernalia and souvenirs with an expected increase with festival events.

But with a gradual decline in the number of cruise ships arriving at the Port Royal Cruise Port, the market was all but empty on Monday when The Gleaner walked through.

Vendor Tamekia Whebley, who has been operating her craft store since inheriting it from her mother-in-law eight months ago, said her location at the back of the market has not helped her situation and affords very little opportunity to land sales.

“A lot of times when the ship comes, maybe we get two bus and when two bus come, half out of the two bus nah shop, them just browse around and go back into the bus,” she said.

She noted that despite three busloads of tourists visiting the market on another occasion, only a small group consisting of 10 visitors made purchases that day.

The business, she said, has its ups and downs with the majority of the days looking bleak.

This sentiment was shared by Juliet Forbes, another vendor whose stall is situated at the front of the building.

Operating in the area for over 30 years, Forbes revealed that over the last five years, sales had plummeted drastically.

“Back in the days was better, but now, nothing going on,” she said.

Most of the customers entering the market and making purchases, according to the veteran saleswoman, are returning residents.

Tourists, she said, primarily engage in window-shopping and may buy a single item or a keepsake, but they frequently inform merchants that they have no interest in making a purchase.

“One time we used to see people. Now, we don’t see anybody,” she exclaimed.

“Even if we get the ships, we don’t get the people like one time. Them come and look and them just look and go out,” she added.

Nicola Ferguson said that traditionally, the summer months were profitable as Jamaica-coloured dresses and T-shirts, bathing suits and swimsuit overalls were her bestsellers. Now, she, too, is not seeing many customers.

Whebley explained that because of the inconsistency in sales, there are times when she does not make any significant sale for a continuous period of two weeks to two months. Some days, she does not even make $150 for her bus fare back home.

“So you have to come a work prepared with your bus fare and your lunch money. Don’t come a work and feel say you goin’ sell something to get bus fare and lunch money,” she said.

“If I was depending on this alone to pay my bills, I would be homeless, and hungry without light and water,” she said.

Vendors are appealing with the tourism board and Minister Edmund Bartlett to give the capital city’s artisan hub more attention by assisting in effectively advertising the market.

Whebley is also strongly opposed to constructing hotels with their own craft shops as this hampers the sales of the local craftspeople.

“If you are hardly getting customers out here, when the craft shops go into the hotels what is going to happen [to us]?” she questioned.

The vendors, she insisted, are in desperate need of assistance from the Government.

“We are here struggling and you come up in the hotel and put craft shop in the hotel, so if the individual can come from out of their room and go next door to get whatever they need, they don’t need to come here,” she said.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com