Kenshia revelling in Boozer’s Paradise
If Kenshia ‘Chin’ Edwards is to be described by one word, it would be ‘determined’. Edwards has always wanted to be an entrepreneur from her days at Garvey Maceo High in Clarendon.
“I like having my own thing. I like to be independent. That’s how I’ve been even when I was small,” she said. “When I came home from school, I used to work in a shop for a little.”
She then moved to Ocho Rios where one of her sisters lived, and over time, she opened her first bar.
She revealed that she actually bought much of her equipment like measuring cups before she ever opened a bar, noting that “I had a plan.”
After closing that bar, she went abroad for a bit, but when she returned to Jamaica, she headed to the southern side of the island.
She knew friends in Gazeland, a community in Nain, St Elizabeth, and being the determined individual she is, she sought to open a bar there.
But misfortune struck shortly after opening.
NO GIVING UP
“Dem rob me and me move from there. Mi never give up still,” she said. “Sometimes God tests us, you get a test to push yourself. That is me. I always push myself even if I don’t have anybody to motivate me. I never give up.”
Undeterred, Edwards sought another spot, and about three years ago, Boozer’s Paradise was created.
Ironically, the spot she currently uses was available when she first went to Gazeland. But she could not come up with the money in time.
“And you see it come right back to me? That’s why I know that what is for you, you must get it. This was for me,” she said.
Most of her customers are from the area, but she has loyal fans from as far as Kingston.
“I get a lot of truck drivers. When dem park, they block off di space. I have to tell them ‘set good and fix up’,” she laughed.
She uses a barmaid sometimes, but she is mostly behind the counter.
“People love to see me. They say they like my personality,” she smiled. “It all depends on customer service. That is important.”
There is a space beside her and she would love to expand her bar into it, but Edwards knows all about being patient.
“Maybe a just little time it will take. It soon happen, just wait,” she smiled.