PM awakens bedmakers' dreams

[Assasin]

A group of bedmakers on Harbour Street.
For many, making beds is a skill they learnt on the job and it is a business that has helped them to support their families for years.
But with the global recession and the move by many stores in downtown Kingston to start selling beds, they have seen a decline in their sales in recent months.
"We use to sell all six and eight beds on a Saturday, now we only selling one or two and more time nuh bed nuh sell," Marvin said.
But that has not caused them to despair; instead, they are looking at ways to streamline their business and move into the official arena.
"Sometimes the police them come and seize we goods and we have to pay money to the KSAC (Kingston and St Andrew Corporation) to get them back. What we want is one of the old buildings downtown where we could set up shop and even hire some youths and teach them the trade.
"We are all ghetto youths but we decide seh wi not going into crime, we want to try a thing and show some other youths that them can do something for themselves and the police still pressure we," Sherman added.
"We make all size bed and when people come and we give them a price and them say them have less we give them, worse, if them say them lose them bed in a fire or flood," the bedmakers said. For them, it is slow and the financial reward is small, but it offers a source of income they are not about to reject and, more important, making beds keeps them out of trouble.

[Assasin]

I must say a few years ago I actually went to buy a bed and my uncle took me to one of these bedmaker and the price was so good we ended up getting two beds.

The quality is no different from many of the stores I visited. The only problem is it seems like a ruff environment as the bedmakers compete and you have man pon the corners looking out for customer or police. My Uncle knew the person he bought from so it wasn't a problem for me.

I wish these small businessman some luck and also get them to pay some taxes.

[MdmeX]

Wonder if Courts and other Home Furnishing places couldn't assist in providing an outlet for their product

Or perhaps some NGO could set them up in a secured location. Youth them trying and not turning to the guns, so they need to be encouraged.

[Assasin]

I rather the latter option. There should be areas provided for these start up entrepeneurs that get a tax break, security, and proper management counseling.

I can bet there is one or two man close by who is there for "protection" when needed.

Until Jamaica can foster these products and the skills of these individual and turn them into productive entities but not "eat a food" corner store then we will always be the same. As the vendor said with a better location and capital he could expand and train one or two more youths.

In many progressive society these men would be on their way to become businessmen but right now them a fi a play hide and seek with police.