Melrose Hill vendors staying afloat
Shinehead recalls when things were much better at the Melrose Hill Yam Park in Manchester. “I’m over here for almost 20 years now and business has been up and down. You know how business stay already. One week it good, another week it nuh good. Me only wah know seh di people dem get work, cause when WINDALCO did open and Jamalco, Alpart ... dem mek the people spend more money. From dem deh place deh lock up, no money nah run,” he said.
The businesses he pointed to are bauxiteproducing entities which suffered a fallout after the 2008 recession. WINDALCO’s
Kirkvine bauxite plant in
Manchester has been closed for more than a decade. And
JISCO Alpart in neighbouring
St Elizabeth has recently announcement the redundancy of approximately 900 workers.
Though business has dwindled, Shinehead said that committed customers within Manchester have kept him and other vendors afloat. Shinehead has a diverse menu to ensure his customers never lose interest.
“Me have roast yam and salt fish. Me have cooked salt fish, roasted salt fish, and ackee and salt fish. With the roast salt fish enuh, the yam fresh, so the roast salt fish give yuh the flavour, da salt deh gi yuh di flavour. Me out here almost every day. By 7 o’clock yuh can get food inna the morning,” he said.
Likewise, Shelly McLean says similar to other businesses, there are good days and bad days at the yam park.
“I’ve been selling here from the road (the Melrose Bypass) is open ... so a very long time. Business is really up and down. Today it up, tomorrow it down ... and nothing nah mek things better right now, suh yuh affi just work wid it. No money nuh inna di system,” she said.
McLean dedicates 12 hours a day to her business.
“I work every day, except on a Saturday. I reach here by seven in the morning and go home by seven in the evening. I do yam, potato, breadfruit, ackee and salt fish, and the list goes on. Mi get sales from people in and outside the parish. (But) No white people, white people nuh really eat yam, dem maybe ask fi just a taste, that’s it,” she said.
Unlike McLean and Shinehead, Lloyd Williams has something different to offer – natural juices.
“Me open this business around three months ago. Me do fruits, nuts and vegetable drinks, smoothies and stuff. Yuh si the need for it because, traditionally, they do the roast yam with salt fish and stuff like that. Me a the only one doing smoothies and stuff like that,” he said.
Williams believes he is adding to what was already at ‘yam ground’.
“Yuh have other juice vendors who sell like soda, enuh, but me a the only one with natural juice. I have coconut water and a cane machine. I wouldn’t say my offering is more unique ... I just come to add on to what I see,” he said.