Downtown alive during Christmas

Patrina Pink, Gleaner Writer

"Me tired fi tell him say him don't have to do any walk up and down. Just stay one place and him must get a sale," declared one young salesman as he organised his goods, including imitation clothing from the Apple Bottoms line. Confident of the sale, and enthusiastic about the season was how some vendors appeared before and on Christmas Day.

What recession? That question might have lingered on the minds of visitors to the area as downtown Kingston was cork full of persons plying wares as well as casual and serious shoppers from across the Corporate Area and other parts of Jamaica.

"From Friday we don't go home all now, we set our stall and we don't take them down. Them say that the stores are gonna be closed till Tuesday so we a bleach till then," said Verona Lewis, a 58-year-old veteran vendor who sells costume jewellery in West Parade. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep but she had the support of her daughter to see her through. Daley said that she sold jewellery as late as 3 a.m. and that downtown hasn't dozed off since Christmas Eve.

Several other vendors were aided by their children and one young man was observed making change while his mother gave suck to his younger sister.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force's mission to "clear up" the streets of downtown Kingston was postponed for the season and Orange, Beckford, King and other streets were crammed with goods, a pedestrian and motorists' nightmare.

The usual image of vendors struggling to run with their goods in an attempt to evade the police was nowhere in sight and for many downtown was back to a former glory.