Simmering Siparia

Siparia’s contribution to the national economy may not be seen in dollars and cents, but it is a node of development in South Trinidad and a magnet for people going into new business. For its residents it has always been a bustling commercial hub, equipped with all the merchandise and services to maintain a standard of living on par with those living in other parts of the country. However, the future of older businesses may be on shaky ground and while some may decide to stay and fight, others have become tired and disheartened and are seriously thinking about closing up shop. Some businesess are having a rough time. Owner of H&S Supermarket, Cynthia Diptee, said she is thinking about closing because of the overwhelming competition from new businesses. The supermarket has been in operation for over twenty years and like most of the older shops in Siparia, the store contains a little of everything. Every corner and every space was years ago  filled with some small items the owner hoped one day might sell.

One can find, brooms, flashlights, cigarettes, balloons, books, shoes, combs, toothbrushes, some of them covered with a thin film of dust, packed on shelves and displayed in glass cases. Each pile of merchandise, rises all the way up to the ceiling making it impossible to take something out, without having the entire stack topple on you. This old-fashioned way of doing business has begun to take a toll on its owners. “Business was better before all of this,” she said, referring to the development of the area. “Things have slowed down a lot over the last couple of years. We are thinking about closing down. I had to rent out a piece of this building and we are getting a lot of shop lifting,” said the owner. According to Diptee, people may be going outside the area to shop.

Norman Jaggernauth, manager of Diptee’s Hardware store, which has been in operation for over 50 years, thinks otherwise. He said the area is developing faster than people realise and shop owners need to realise this, noting such increased activity will create more business for them, but only if they are willing to stick it out — and revamp their image. “What we need to do is make shopping convenient for people. Make it so they don’t have to go outside the area for what they need,” he said in an interview. “I believe Siparia is the main shopping area in South,” he said, noting there was tremendous traffic through the street on a daily basis. Owners, he believed, needed to capitalize on the fact that Siparia still is a safe place to live and shop for most of its residents, he added.

“We try to be competitive in our pricing to draw more people to the area by keeping them low,” said Jaggernauth. Most businesses are located along High Street, the main thorough-fare, but there are numerous small shops and vendors scattered about the back streets, creating a labyrinth for people to weave in and out of, when shopping. All the local commercial banks — RBTT, Republic, Scotia and FCB, have offices along the lower area of High Street, catering to a diverse clientele, including  pensioners and the indigenous business owners, who make up the bulk of the clientele.
There is also a tiny market situated opposite the San Fernando taxi stand. Here, vendors have set up tables covered with umbrellas and peddle  produce. The real market though is situated on lower High Street, taking up a large area. Also, construction has begun on a new multiplex called the Siparia Administrative Complex, to house the government offices, which are now scattered about High Street.

According to Jaggernauth, a lot of work has been done to develop the area citing the sporting complex. The community centre has also been upgraded, he said. But the owner of Deluxe fabrics, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said even with all this development, the mentality of the business owners has not changed. Siparia, she said, is an old town with a lot of old businesses run by generation of the same families. “Their only competitive move has been to open different types of businesses side by side,” she said. “Business has not changed all that much. You have the same owners for the last twenty, maybe fifty years, carrying on the same business with their children taking over. Some of them ended up branching of into other types of businesses,” she said. Deluxe was opened twelve years ago by the current owner’s father and even with the slow pace of sales, they plan to stay.

The owner added that it is hard for shop owners to just leap into another area, like San Fernando. Competition, he added is not something they might be prepared for. “You compete with twelve other shops like yours compared to one or two here. This is not something people can cope with and recover easily from,” said the owner. San Fernando’s exorbitant rent might have hindered those who wanted to take the plunge. “The rent is also horrible. We pay about $4000 rent here for this small space compared to $15,000 in San Fernando,” the owner said. If you enjoy the slow, laid back way of doing business, Siparia is the place for you, she added. “You get to know faces of those walking along the streets and of your customers. And you build relationships with them. This is better than having a million people step through your door and never getting the chance to remember any of them. People like shopping in places where they are remembered and their preferences are remembered,” said the owner. But she added that this is like a doubled-edged sword. “We don’t get many new customers becoming return customers. They walk in, look around, maybe buy something and never come back,” she said.  Shop-lifting, though not significantly high, is a source of worry for many of the shop owners.

Apart from the banks and some supermarkets, none of the stores on high Street is equipped with devices like video cameras. They rely on “keeping an eye” on those going in and out of the store, but this is not enough. Even with the owners complaining of a decrease in sales and threatening to close down, they cannot deny that the area has been attracting new businesses over the last few years. “We recently got a Penny-savers, a new cosmetics store, a new grocery and a Super 10 store. So people are coming to the area to compete,” said the owner of Deluxe. But while entrepreneurs seem to be attracted to the area, students and young adults shy away from it. Siparia also has three high schools and five primary schools, making it a hub of pedestrian traffic. Students say Siparia is not for them, they don’t like being there and they certainly will not shop there.
“It is not a nice place to lime. It’s not like High Street, San Fernando. The area feels old and run down like you took a walk into the past,” said one student.