ST JAMES, Jamaica — The St James Municipal Corporation has granted the vendors at the Harbour Street and Fort Street Craft Markets in Montego Bay an additional three months of 50 per cent reduction in shop rental, from April to June of this year.

The decision was made at a recent meeting of the Corporation’s Finance Committee.

This follows an initial three months, April, May and June last year when vendors were allowed to operate rent-free at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Jamaica. Shortly after that gesture was later followed up with a 50 per cent reduction in rental for the ensuing nine months, ending March 2021.

Chairman of the Finance Committee at the Corporation, Councillor Everes Coke, said the outreach to the vendors is being done based on the drastic fall off in business which largely is dependent on tourism.

“Since the arrival of COVID-19 in Jamaica, a number of businesses including tourism have been negatively impacted. The Craft Vendors depend largely on the tourism sector for sales and with the fall off in arrival, they experienced little to no business and as a Corporation, we took the decision to firstly allow them to operate rent-free for the first three months after COVID-19 arrived and at a 50 per cent discount since then,” Councillor Coke stated.

He said the corporation continues to heavily subsidize the operations at the craft markets as the utilities are still being paid and the facilities are still being provided with round-the-clock security.

“We at the corporation see this gesture to the craft vendors at part of the partnership which we have been enjoying over the years. We are hoping that in short order the tourism sector will return to its glory days which will see the craft markets back to full operation. However, for now we are satisfied that the extension of the 50 per cent reduction in rental will go a far way in helping the craft vendors to remain in the trade,” Coke said.

Meanwhile, the councillor is encouraging the vendors to use the current slow time at the markets to take a serious look at their operations and come up with new, innovative and creative ways to attract and keep customers when business gets better.

“It is the right time for the vendors to take a long hard look at their operation, their way of doing business and make adjustments where necessary. There can be some diversification of the items which they sell, they can invest in new items and as a group, they can start an aggressive marketing campaign, using social media and other technological platforms to market on the local and international scenes which I am sure will spur the interests of both locals and visitors,” he said.

There are 257 shops at the Harbour Street Craft Market, while there are 155 at the Fort Street location.