Christmas is looking gloomy for the capital city, according to many venders, shop owners and even consumers. The usual buzz on the streets of Port-of-Spain, with loud Christmas music and frenzied buying, was not in evidence when the T&T Guardian visited the main shopping areas on Tuesday.
Nisha Small, a vendor at the corner of Frederick Street, said it was the worst she had seen. Small has been selling clothes at her stall for the last two years and said usually her sales pick up in November but so far this year she has seen no increase. She believes this is so because people do not have money to spend on Christmas.
One of the fruit vendors at the same location, who did not want to share her name, echoed the sentiment, adding that she hoped it picked up closer to Christmas Day. Manager of All In One Ltd on Charlotte Street, Ann Ayoung-Chee said sales were “fair to middling” and was hoping more people would come in to shop later in the season.
She said owning a business in Port-of-Spain is an “uphill battle” because they receive little support. Sales are slow because many people no longer choose to come in to the capital city to shop for a number of reasons, which include a lack of parking and severe congestion caused by street vendors.
Another woman, who did not want to be named, said her boss mentioned to her that sales have dropped by at least 40 per cent for this time of the year. The woman said it was already a slow year and she was very worried about what next year may bring if sales don’t increase soon. “A lot of people may be unemployed if it continues like this. I am terrified for small businesses because if it continues like this many people will not have their jobs next year,” she said.
At least one worker was hopeful because of improved sales in the last two weeks. Charmaine Morris, who work at the Cosmetic Counter at Town Centre Mall, said she expected things would only get better as the season progressed because they will introducing new features like promotional sales, waxing and facials.
The dismal forecast did not seem to apply to the cloth stores, as most of them were filled with customers. At Jimmy Aboud, The Textile King, shoppers packed the store as they chose curtain designs. But one customer said she found shopping was extremely expensive this year. “In general, not just curtains: everything is expensive this year but I have to get my sheeting because you just need that.”
Another woman, who also did not share her name, said she stopped shopping for Christmas seven years ago and was only in Port-of-Spain looking for mats.
Doma optimistic
Even though things may not look so good yet, Gregory Aboud, president of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (Doma), believes consumers will not stay away from downtown Port-of-Spain.
“Despite its many problems, downtown Port-of-Spain continues to be a strong destination for the shopping public. The city centre is burdened by the same problems year in and year out, but it continues to be resilient because of the unique combination of businesses that are still located in downtown Port-of-Spain,” he said in a hone interview. To make sure the capital city continues to grow and more people come to shop for the season the authorities must play their role, he said.
“We are hoping that the authorities recognise some of the pressures of building for the future wellbeing of the city and that the future of Port-of-Spain will not be regressed,” he said.
No park-and-ride yet
Councillor for St Ann’s East Janelle Young, will be leading the charge to have Woodford Square lit up as the coporation seeks to encourage participation from the private sector with its drive: “Adopt a Tree and Brighten the City.” She said as far as she knew there was no new parking allowances for shoppers, and only the Government could decide if the park-and-ride service from the Queen’s Park Savannah would return this year.