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Crafts Alive vendors dispute non-payment claims
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the vendors reiterated that they are still awaiting a pending meeting with officials who have control over the Village, including Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool.
“It’s not that people [vendors] don’t want to pay, it’s the way it was done – unprofessionally,” one vendor argued.
They related that the planned meeting is being organised to have discussions on a revised rental arrangement which was first reportedly raised at a meeting with the Works Minister in November 2013.
Vendors previously complained that it was unfair to have everyone pay a standard fee when the sizes of the shops were different. “We cannot be in an 8’x10’ space and they’re in a 12’x20’ space and pay the same price,” one vendor argued.
The current rental agreements that the vendors have signed requires that they pay $250 per month during the cruise season and $150 per month during the ‘slow’ season (May to October).
Some have suggested that they are comfortable with paying $150 per month throughout the year for the smaller sized shops but need to meet with officials to iron out their concerns.
They argued that there has been some delay in resolving the issues since officials have sought to meet with a single representative about the vendors concerns instead of all vendors as it was hoped for.
“The way everything was done was not professional,” another vendor agreed. She argued that during the four month grace period after the vendors first entered the revamped village in November 2012. They continued to ask about the rental arrangement in place but were not given any figures.
They stated that they were suddenly asked to pay a deposit of $350 and two months’ rental fees which they felt was unreasonable.
Efforts to contact City Manager Janice Brathwaite-Edwards and other officials for comment on the issues raised by the vendors proved unsuccessful up to post time.
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