Forty more vendors received keys to their new kiosks at the Fairchild Street Market Village on Wednesday.
The 21 fruit and vegetable vendors and 19 owners of variety shops have transitioned to the spanking new facility, following the completion of Phase Two of the project in early January. They were among entrepreneurs who previously operated at the old Fairchild Street Market and the temporary market on Probyn Street.
When a Barbados TODAY team visited the new market where there was a long queue of vendors outside the administration office, the President of the Fairchild Street Public Market Vendors Association Neressa Simmons said she was delighted about the move.
“I am really excited because it has been a very long time and where some of the tenants were, they were not making any money. So they have come home to their market and would be able to make back their money where they originally established their customer base,” she said.
President of the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs Alister Alexander was “jubilant”.
“It was a little long in coming but in the context of the years we were waiting for the market to be upgraded, it was quick. We are looking forward to the other phase, the meat section, so the butchers can have a nice place to operate as well,” he said.
Manager of Markets with the Ministry of Agriculture Sherlock King also said he was pleased that the vendors could ply their trade in pristine conditions.
He explained that they were asked to meet officials of the ministry on Wednesday morning to sign contracts and work out utility arrangements before being handed their keys.
“I am pleased that the vendors are finally able to operate in above-satisfactory conditions,” King said.
He explained that vendors classified as variety stall owners sold items like baked goods, electronic devices and clothing and provided services such as barbering.
The next phase of the project is the completion of the butchery section.
The Fairchild Street Market Village was erected as part of the wider Bridgetown Transformation Project, which got underway in January 2020.
In the old market, vendors operated in dilapidated conditions. During the construction of Phase Two, the fruit and vegetable vendors who operated there were relocated to nearby spots while the vendors who were at the temporary market at Probyn Street were given small grants as that facility was demolished to make way for the Golden Square Freedom Park.
Barber Sylvester Fields, who plied his trade at Probyn Street, said he felt “good” to finally be back in business.
However, he lamented, “I now have to fight to get back my customers”.
When the market village is completed, more than 100 vendors will operate there. (SZB)
