Vendors register to sell for Christmas season in South Quay carpark

SOME 50 vendors registered on Wednesday so that they can sell on the streets of Port of Spain hassle free for the Christmas season, Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez said.

Martinez, speaking outside City Hall with Newsday, after meeting with some of the vendors said he wants to create small and micro-entrepreneurs through vendors but emphasised there must be some sort of order.

“The city police offered the vendors the opportunity to register, they were the ones who suggested the registration so this way they will not be harassed at Christmas time.”

Martinez said those who registered will be given first preference to South Quay car park. He added that the registering of vendors have helped to deal with unregulated vending on Charlotte Street, which he now hopes to expand to better address the flow of pedestrian traffic.

“Some plans are now on hold. The revitalisation of Port of Spain is not just the revitalisation of buildings but the people that will allow them to ply their trade and for others to enjoy our parks and squares to have a clean, structured and developed city.”

Martinez said he will be looking at restructuring vending on the streets post-Christmas and is now working with different models to see which is best.

“It is not about getting rid of the vendors but seeing how to get them to be micro-entrepreneurs,” he said, adding that in the end not all the vendors will be pleased, but the hope is to come up with a solution to assist everyone.

Last year, Martinez said it was not fair for seasonal vendors to take up a space in the city to sell, infringing on those who would have been doing so for years.

He said then: “Vending is something I would like to eventually develop into small and micro-enterprise or entrepreneurs but it must have a process and it must be regulated. If you don’t do that you will end up in chaos.”