The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

STRAW vendors at the Bay Street Straw Market have been given a month’s rent free after complaints that a two-day closure for cleaning would cost them badly needed income during an already slow sales period.

The concession, announced as the market reopened on Saturday, is four times longer than the one-week rent discount initially planned for vendors who attended the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage’s empowerment session on Friday.

Culture Minister Leslia Miller-Brice said the ministry increased the concession after recognising that the closure placed an additional burden on vendors.

Mrs Miller-Brice said the government had known the two-day shutdown would affect vendors and wanted the closure to accomplish more than an extensive cleaning of the market.

Weekly rent at the market is $37.

Mrs Miller-Brice said vendors understood the need for the market to be cleaned and did not strongly object to the closure, but acknowledged that losing two days of sales was difficult.

The Downtown Straw Market, which has about 470 vendors, closed for two days for what the ministry described as its first extensive cleaning exercise since 2021.

The work included removing debris, cleaning floors and fans and working on the market’s cooling system. Mrs Miller-Brice said at least five dumpsters of debris were removed.

“The vendors actually took this opportunity to clean up their area,” she said. “It was such a beautiful feeling of love, camaraderie.”

Mrs Miller-Brice said younger vendors helped older vendors during the exercise.

At the ministry’s listening and empowerment session on Friday, vendor Manette Maycock welcomed both the rent concession and the cleaning exercise.

“We are indeed appreciative of what is taking place today, even including the reduction of our rents,” Ms Maycock said, “because you know the economy is not what it used to be, and we appreciate that month off, and also the empowerment for the straw vendors.”

Another vendor, Charltaneka Johnson, said the initiative made vendors feel recognised.

“Nobody ever done something like this for us,” Ms Johnson said. “We feel seen. We feel loved.”

Ms Johnson also raised concerns about flooding around parts of the market during heavy rainfall, saying water can collect near doorways and create a risk for people walking through the area.

Mrs Miller-Brice said the government also intends to address concerns about heat inside the market and wants to attract more tourists.

She said cooling units had been installed and were being tested, while the ministry planned to meet with the Ministry of Tourism about increasing visitor traffic.

Mrs Miller-Brice said vendors believed a cooler market would encourage tourists to remain inside longer and spend more money.

Mrs Miller-Brice said she had been visiting the market regularly since taking office in May and speaking directly with vendors about their concerns.

“I simply just sit there, and I ask them, ‘What is it that we can do better?’” she said.

Mrs Miller-Brice said concerns raised by vendors were taken to the Straw Market Authority for attention.