EDITOR, The Tribune
My late maternal grandmother, born in 1900, would often reminisce about the sleepy town of Nassau, with its quaint little Bay Street shops, many of which buildings are still here today. The proprietors of these shops (un-airconditioned as they were) would sit by the front door and if you asked for anything in particular, you would be directed, or pointed, to go right over there in the back, on the so-and-so shelf. The proprietor could not get up from (normally) his comfy chair until you found what you were looking for and were ready to pay.
Somehow between those sleepy, lazy days of yesteryear, the merchant class of Bahamians have died off, or looked for other opportunities elsewhere and in their dying wakes have left a cadre of foreign entrepreneurs, who no one seems to be sure what they are selling or doing, but they have no idea of what the Main Street American tourist comes to Nassau for. If one would take the time to walk the sidewalks of Bay Street today, instead of our laid back Bahamian proprietors of yesterday, we see a plethora of young middle-eastern men, working the sidewalks, with their hip-hop music blasting across Bay Street and up and down the sidewalks, as if that were the key to the Main Street American’s heart.
Notwithstanding the continuing miles of red tape that must be traversed to gain a business licence, who is controlling, if anyone or anything, the kind of businesses that are granted licences, or the way they conduct those businesses? Is there anymore a requirement to “keep the peace”, and does one have to make formal complaints to the police, or can we expect the police to maintain the “peace” on their own, and when one shopkeeper’s music permeates the next door shopkeeper’s premises, maybe the peace has been broken.
Assuming that there are any police at all beating the Bay Street pavement!
BRUCE G RAINE
Nassau,
July 21, 2019.
Comments
Sickened 4 years, 9 months ago
So true. Everyday our once glorious Bay Street looks more and more like a Turkish side street market; but instead of selling rugs and spices etc. they are aggressively hustling to sell some miracle skin regenerator or some shiny silver(?) jewelry. The one or two tourists you see actually walking into those stores must be spending a fortune because it's not easy covering the $10k a month rent, $8k a month electricity and $20k a month in salaries. Products must be flying off those shelves or... there must be a HUGE markup on the dozen or so pieces they sell each week.
sealice 4 years, 9 months ago
Bay Streets a joke compared to anything from the 60's and earlier - not 1/2 as many business - more foreigners then we have at most of our hotels. Keep holding your breath though things will get better. . . . .
truetruebahamian 4 years, 9 months ago
After independence, we lost our beauty and class. There is nothing quaint or charming about this dirty mess that we now must trawl through each day. The tourist of yesteryear goes elsewhere and we only get masses of cheap end criuisers. On Sunday I was confronted by a particularly nasty woman from the U.S. who seemed to dislike anyone who wasn't from the United States (America she called it) or anyone who would not immediately answer do her shouted demands. Me being a Bahamian, I am of course a lesser creature of this world than should be allowed to quietly respond to her shouted demands. She hopefully got the messagewhen I told - in moderated tone - her to shout her inquiries elsewhere - perhaps in her place of origin.
Dawes 4 years, 9 months ago
Just Walk down Bay Street, those foreign companies can do whatever they like and no one will stop them. Many things they do are against he law and there is nothing. Plenty police downtown, but they must have been told to leave those people alone.
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