For almost 50 years Riley Maragh has operated his craft shop across from the Kingston Craft Market on Harbour Street in the capital city's downtown business district and he has seen good and bad times.
We have a close connection with the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and I am confident that we will see better days,” added Maragh as he applauded the UDC for its decision to waive the rent for vendors operating in its craft markets for the next three months.
On Wednesday, the UDC announced that the licensees at all its craft markets will not be required to pay shop rental fees for April, May, and June 2020.
According to the UDC, the almost 700 registered traders at Kingston Craft Market, Ocho Rios, Dunn's River, and Pineapple craft markets in St Ann; Success Craft Market in St James; and Rutland Point Craft Market in Hanover were given written notification of the rent wavier this week.
The UDC said its board and management took the decision in recognition of the challenges faced by craft traders since the closure of national borders to incoming passenger traffic to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus and, by extension, a significant downturn in the local tourism industry.
