By LEONARDO BLAIR,
Staff Reporter
Marjorie Brown
MARJORIE Brown squatted silently on a neat wooden stool before a colourful spread of yams and vegetables in the Papine Market.
Despite the cloud cover outside and the slow business day she had a fresh face and a warm smile waiting customers.
The 71-year-old, who lives in Papine, Kintyre says market life in Papine was once good but since the mid-nineties things have been going downhill.
"When mi just start selling here life wasn't bad, ah could sell and mek ah little money. During the 80s up to about 1995, tings was alright, but right now we have more seller than buyer."
She says the vendors used to stay inside the Market at one time but since the competition for customers grew stiffer they have moved out into the streets and car parks.
"It is like there are more sellers than buyers--the people use to stay inside the market. Now everyone is on the outside. Some people come here and never even know say inside here was market. People not coming in here anymore--on the weekends when they come, they say they don't have any parking space so they just buy from the ones on the outside," said Brown.
"There are some days like today and I'm here, ah don't even sell $100," she added.
She said things are no different during the holiday season. "Last year Christmas come een like anyday to me and this year it look like it going to be the same. You only have more sellers. Some people who use to buy from me selling now because they don't have any jobs," she said
Brown is not planning to remain in the market life much longer as she believes she has done her service and will be retiring. On her stall were produce such as cabbages, coconuts, onions, red peas, ginger, yam, turnips, bananas and pears.
She said on Saturdays however, she sells almost everything. According to her everything for your soup on Saturdays and your rice and peas pot on Sundays.
Why should a customer stop at Marjorie's stall? "Well you come and see it for yourself, ah treat oonu good and everything," she said with a warm smile.
