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Relocated Stabroek vendors face hard times
– say “business ain’t just bad, it ugly”
It’s been over a month since a massive demolition exercise forced several vendors to shift their operations from Stabroek Market Square to the Demico House pavement.
Some of the vendors at their new location
Since then, things have not been easy for them.
“Things hard”, says Seon Charles, standing outside of his small booth in which he sells caps and clothing.
He said that since they were forced to relocate, business has been slow for everyone.
“I aint getting nothing. Business isn’t even bad, it’s ugly. If I get two sales a day, ah get nuff”. Seon is keeping his fingers crossed and hoping his fortune will change for the Mashramani season since he says he has tons of expenses and family commitments.
One of the reasons for the “bad business” is that the area outside Demico House is where taxi drivers also park.
Those cars often block their booths and the potential customers.
Yolanda Beaton, another clothes vendor, also said that customers are deterred by the hassle they often receive from the taxi drivers.
Another vendor, Anita Fraser, said that the way the vendors have been positioned, they are at the mercy of the sun particularly at midday and in the afternoon.
“Across the road, it was better because the stalls and stands were backing the sun for most of the day,” she said. Another vendor complained that the recent rains also bring discomfort, since their area becomes somewhat flooded.
A single parent with two children, Yolanda worries that she may be unable to pay her kids’ school fees, while finding money for rent and other necessities. Making the situation worse, the burden of finding another means of income is also one of her plights, because she expects that she will be removed from this location by March month end.
The entrance to ‘Donkey City’, Vendors say this is a poor spot for vending
Some vendors have been relocated into the Stelling View Market (“Donkey City”) and similar to the relocated vendors outside of the La Penitence Market, the few fortunate vendors were told that they had to erect concrete structures.
There are a handful of businesses operating at the moment inside “Donkey City” but those are the stalls of businessmen that have been vending there for 10 to 20 years. Shawn Adams is one of the businessmen who relocated to “Donkey City.
He has already completed his new concrete stall before the March 2 deadline and wants to set up his business, but said the pathways in the market are in a deplorable state.
“Donkey City” has a track record of being a failure for a productive market facility in the past. One of the vendors said that he was located there twice and business was poor.
Responding to this observation, Shawn said that he cannot afford to fail since he has invested considerably in his business.
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