Vendors Welcome Yallahs Market Opening

Vendors at the Yallahs market in St. Thomas are breathing a sigh of relief following the official opening of the facility on Friday (March 27) and the end of years of inaccessibility and frustration.

The market was locked into a lease for several years and was not being used for its original purpose.

Speaking at the opening of the facility, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, explained that the market “was used to sell motor-vehicle parts and to do other things”.

“The vendors had to sit outside at the gate and watch business taking place in the market outside of what the market was built for. I gave a commitment in 2018 that once the lease expired, we will not renew the lease and we’ll make efforts to get the market up and running,” he added.

The Minister pointed out that the opening of the market, signalled the completion of phase one of the reconstruction of the facility.

In this phase, structured vending spaces, improved lighting systems, new sanitary facilities and a new meat shop were created. Phase two will include the building out of the stalls outside of the main building and the facility being paved.

In her remarks, Vendor, Rose Carlyle Robinson, said: “I am glad to see that our patience is paying off. We are happy to finally have a more convenient and affordable market to sell and store our goods. It has been long in coming.”

“You (Minister McKenzie) have been waiting long for that long lease to end so that you could repair and give us back our markets. Thank you and God bless you. This is a real turning point for those of us who rely on the market for our livelihood at this time,” she added.

She encouraged other vendors to “rope in” and to “use up the good, good market that our government has provided”.

I encourage all my colleagues to take care of it, because this is our tax dollars at work,” Mrs. Robinson said.

Tanisha Reynolds is also a vendor at the facility.

She told JIS News, “I feel good so far. This is just the first phase but I feel good because when we were outside, we were encountering with dust, rain and other hazardous things so, therefore, this a great upliftment for Yallahs and St. Thomas in general.”

Another vendor, Winsome Johnson, who was observed selling pastries, porridge and other delights at the market, told JIS News, “I am elated! I am a chef professionally so I would like to expand on what I am doing. This market will be an excellent benefit for me.”

Meanwhile, Minister McKenzie expressed regret at the long wait endured by the vendors but pointed out that, “it’s better late than never because the Municipal Corporation was tied up in that lease”.

“We could have broken the lease but we didn’t want to get into any legal confrontation with anybody. So, we waited,” he stated.