Falmouth craft vendor leans on bag juice and snacks as cruise market sales dry up

Annie Brown te pran chimen pou l fè lavi l atravè travay atizana, men yon long peryòd vant ki pa bon pouse l antre nan yon ti biznis sou kote li pa t janm planifye. Soti nan estann li anndan Falmouth Seaboard District Craft Market la, li kounye a konte sou vann ti manje ak ji nan sache pou kenbe lajan ap antre.

"The thing slow, slow; so mi just walk up and down and sell some cheese-trix and bag juice. Nothing nah gwaan right now," li te di, pandan li te fè konnen pouvwa achte l limite. "I still can't buy much. I have to buy one bag of cheese-trix and one bag of bag juice. Mi still don't leave the shop. Mi walk here in the market and sell. I get my support in here," li te ajoute.

Brown te di piblikasyon an li pa ka sonje dènye fwa atizana l te pote yon revni ki te fyab. "Mi out here from early this morning (Wednesday) and mi nuh sell anything today, but there was no ship today. The Disney ship [is] to come next Wednesday," li te di, pandan li ajoute ke menm lè bato kwazyè yo akoste nan vil la, biznis la apèn bouje.

Li te fèmen estann li yon ti tan apre 3 p.m. mèkredi sa a — ki anjeneral pami jou ki pi aktif yo nan Falmouth. "Wi nuh make no sales because the driver dem gone with them (tourists), bring dem gone a the Chukka, Bluehole, Dunn's River and then bring them back straight over the pier," li te di.

Ak pye bato kwazyè a ki chita sèlman yon ri lwen, Brown rejwenn lòt machann nan mache a pou mande pi gwo sipò. "Them affi help wi get sales because nothing nah gwaan. Sometimes you have to bring lunch from your yard or walk with lunch money because nothing naa sell," li te di, pandan li te mansyone li gen yon pitit fi pou l okipe.

Dapre li menm, bès la soti nan touris yo k ap rete lwen Falmouth menm e nan estann atizana rival yo ki sou pye bato a k ap ofri menm machandiz yo. "And they (tourists) don't come out because they feel the road is a danger to them. Some will take chance," li te di pandan li te fèmen boutik la, pandan li te mare fisèl twal li sèvi olye yon kadna sou mi twal li yo.

Yon dezyèm machann atizana te di The Weekend Star ke komèsan k ap travay anndan Falmouth Pier la ap soufri tou. "Them a bawl same way, and a over deh so the guest them deh," li te di, pandan li te fè konnen li pase prèske karant ane nan komès la e li te konn fè lavi l ap vann machandiz nan lari.

Machann nan te di ti espas mache atizana a pa jenere ase biznis pou kouvri lwaye chak mwa l. "We have to think about the rent and that a kill we. The rent is $8,500 and mi use to go up a Royalton go sell, but since the breeze blow (hurricane), that mash up," li te di.

"Mi nuh know wah happened to this market ya. We naa mek no money, not even when the ship come in. Only God deh a wi side when we sell a dollar ya so," li te ajoute.