Crafts Alive mêlée: Vendors cry of indifferent treatment
The Craft Alive vendors expressed disgust and cried out at the alleged unfair treatment they felt was being meted out as some vendors seemed to seize upon the absence of the now vanished ‘Tent City’, by displaying their wares on the exterior of established structures located directly opposite the very area some Craft Alive vendors had recently been removed from.
Craft Alive vendors are reportedly prohibited from exhibiting their products on the exterior of the structures provided at the village.
The Craft Alive vendors are even more upset at the situation because these vendors reportedly also have allocations within the Crafts Alive village and are vending simultaneously from both locations. “There are four other vendors that were with us at ‘Tent City’… they came here, made sure they got a spot here… but still find themselves vending opposite the Quality Taxi Stand,” one vendor complained.
The vendors now located near the cruise ship pier reportedly made claims recently to the effect that there was nothing the Minister for Works and Communications Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool could do to stop them from vending at the location but the Crafts Alive vendors disputed this, saying that those vendors are on Crown lands.
“Now we were removed from there because of many different reasons… we dropped our hand, we came because they gave us housing… and it’s an ease from you [having to pack up each day], from the rain and stuff like that… we are grateful for that; but at the same time, you cannot have vendors that are vending in here and fought for spots in here and still vending outside, even though they are paying rent, it’s wrong,” a vendor contended.
“It’s either one or the other. It’s either you stay out there and let somebody who wants space in here get the space… and let all the ‘trafficking of the tourists’ come one place. And then we have some of the taxis that do not drop [the tourists] in, because some say it’s too far to walk back… and this is something that draws serious concern that the Minister needs to look into,” she pleaded.
“This is not hearsay this is factual, and if you talk to other vendors up on the core and in the back… it’s ludicrous,” she continued.
Yet another vendor stated, “The whole long and short about this thing is that it seems as if we have been fooled… the Minister promised us that of November 28, 2012, that was the last day for vending over there by ‘Tent City’, everyone has to move, after that everybody would be located at Crafts Alive…. He made it known that everyone is supposed to be over here but there are some still over there and those that are over there, they still have their facility over here so they are operating over there and over here.”
“Why [must they] have [two spots] and we must have one when the government made it possible that everyone should be over here?” she asked. “That is the problem. When the people come off from the ships, they block them there… if you look around here, you see how [the Village] is empty? It’s as simple as that.”
According to the vendor, “The Minister needs to get this straight, if he says he made facilities available for us he’s supposed to let everybody be here, they can’t be over there and still have a place here operating. Let the Minister do what he has to do.”
“I don’t feel good about it,” another vendor vented, “it was told that we needed to move from there and all the vendors would be over here… we still see people over there operating there business and yet they have businesses operating in this lot here. We want to know what is really going on, why the government treated us like that.”
“We know the people that are operating over there,” she continued, “and we know that they occupy spaces here… they have employers either here or there, but they are the same people operating two businesses. They stretch it out [with different family members] to make it look like it’s not them and that is what we are concerned about.”
“They cannot operate two places,” she stated emphatically, “it is illegal, it is unfair, it is not right. We can’t go over there to [confront] them, it takes the people in authority to do that.”
Cruise pier vendors & officials mum
None of the vendors at the cruise ship area decided to seize the opportunity to respond to any of the criticisms that were levelled at them by vendors at the Crafts Alive village, “I don’t want to be in that,” one vendor said.
“When you talk and people comment [on the stories] they pass a lot of criticism, so it’s not good,” another vendor at the same establishment added.
When contacted, both City Manager, Mrs Janice Braithwaite-Edwards as well as Hon. Vanterpool, declined to offer at comment at the time.
Vendors clamour for entertainment; proper sign-age
Meanwhile, the vendors at the village have expressed disappointment at the continued slow pace of sales even with the presence of several ships docked simultaneously at the cruise ship pier.
“It’s like a ghost town, we don’t have [any customers] right now… and there are three ships at the dock, so business is very slow,” one vendor said.
Some of the vendors contended that there might be issues with the language barrier faced when some European visitors arrive but others disputed this noting that various tourists tend to seek after different items.
Other vendors repeated calls for proper signage and some form of entertainment that would attract tourists to the Crafts Alive Village claiming that tourists sometimes mistake the buildings for nicely painted houses.
According to the vendors, they are also prohibited from playing any loud music but stressed that the place is in dire need of some form of entertainment as the place was ‘dead’. They felt that this should be done even if the vendors needed to be asked to contribute something.
“It’s a better scenery, better venue and everything, but the place is dead,” one vendor said.
Another vendor claimed, “They aren’t shopping, it’s the kind of people that come here.” “Now we have three ships out there, and there is nothing”
Anxiety about rental fee
Vendors also continued to express that they were unsure when their rental fees for the Crafts Alive Village structures would be implemented and were anxious to know the cost of this.
“Up to now they haven’t come with the price as yet, so we don’t know what the price is like, we’re still waiting to hear the prices… I want to know what the price is like; we’re willing to pay a fee but I won’t want to pay anything extra,” a vendor offered.
“If we have three ships in today, and you can’t [make a hundred dollars], when no ships are in, what are you supposed to do?” she questioned.
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31 Responses to “Crafts Alive mêlée: Vendors cry of indifferent treatment ”
It is the government responsiblities to put in writing what you can sell, if is not made in the BVI don't sell it, If it is stipulate that you can only sell in the shop, don't go out by the taxi stand and sell, if it state that you cannot hang out the cothes on windows, door or porch don't do it. This government need to go over there with letter for all the vendor stipulating exactly what is expectedd of the vendors. All this nonsense need to stop.
Sick of these people now!!!! SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People visit about 6 different islands on a cruise, some times we are last or second to last. why the F would tourists want to spend top dollar on this chinese knock off bull$h!t being sold here? schups.
“If we have three ships in today, and you can’t [make a hundred dollars], when no ships are in, what are you supposed to do?”
What are you supposed to do????? Are you kidding? Look a damn job. Nobody can force people to shop with you. The reality is not that the cruise people cheap and don't want to shop, most of them that actually spend money do NOT come off the ship. For what? The only ones coming off are those looking for a beach trip or island tour, nothing else. Look at the stats. The people are not coming off the ships because when they dock all they see is a wide open space and a government complex. But they still against developing the area. When will people learn? The people are not coming off the ships and even when they do, why would they buy those foolish things that they find everywhere else for half the cost? I would like to hear Kishmet's story since she seem to be the only one actually offering products of value. I'm sure she probably doing well with her crafts. People are not going to spend $20 on a $5. tie die scarf or wrap, get with the program. It isn't government's responsibility to make sure you make money. What kind of stupidness I'm seeing? Further, with the location of this village, why some of these people don't cater to locals as well with certain products? THe place name CRAFTS ALIVE VILLAGE and apart from Mrs Daniels everybody selling mass produced cheap $h!t!
Bigger picture, I understand your point. But there is a bigger bigger picture.
Even if all we get from the development is A LOT more in taxes and some jobs, it would have been well worth it. We can no longer continue depend on FSC to give us almost 70% of the money we need to survive, it makes no sense. Government have to start looking at ways to develop the country on a whole. Everything can't be for this person, that person, this supporter etc. It's about time we think holistically about developing the entire country. If our Government can collect a lot more in taxes per head plus business tax, plus employment for its people, the entire country will benefit provided that the Government spends this extra cash wisely. Doing such a development cannot be looked at just in a bubble saying the locals won't make money. It's much bigger than that. The locals aren't making any money now so what's the difference? It's time people start being innovative and stop waiting for the Government for everything. The Government needs revenue streams and they will work aggressively towards that and there's nothing you can do about it. We are too complacent, laid back and lazy at times. It's taking hard times to get us to wake up. We hear about projects being proposed for years but we never one day sit down, research to see how we can take part in it. We always focus on the negative aspect and most of all, which person getting the 'bulk' of it. We need to quit that @#$%. Let's start being innovative. The Government planning a major airport expansion and cruise pier development. How can locals benefit from the potential spinoffs? We have 2yrs before any of these really come on stream. How many of us are really looking into how we can benefit from them? Most people want a politician grant the a trade license, give them the idea and still front them the money. That's not commerce, that's bull@#$ and it's costing us dearly!!
Who the hell could cover that and still have to pay rent and frigging WAPA.
It always does...
Now, if you're willing to listen again "The airport WILL NOT get direct flights". SAVE THE MONEY.