Charlotte Street: Survival is the name of the game

With Christmas almost a month away, Charlotte street is already swarming with anxious shoppers looking for those early holiday bargains. It has taken on a life of its own.

Once covered by dense forest, it has grown into one of the most vibrant, if not the busiest, streets in Port-of-Spain. Some say its the home of bargain shopping. A walk from Independence Square to the corner of Prince Street took more than fifteen minutes, having to push and jostle through throngs of people, who overwhelmed the road and the sidewalks. It was even more difficult for vehicles to pass, many irate motorists being forced to loudly honk their horns to make strolling pedestrians move faster.

A bargain hunter’s dream

For many, Charlotte Street is every bargain hunter’s dream — once you are willing to brave the crowd that is. One woman, who requested anonymity, noted that she buys most of the items for her house on Charlotte Street. “Things are much cheaper here than in stores on Frederick Street or even in the malls,” she stated. “I can get a ten piece bowl set for $25 here while in some stores they charge over $40 for the same set.” Her point was reinforced by many other shoppers who agree that things on Charlotte Street tend to be much cheaper and found in greater quantities. Another female shopper said that she had found a bathroom set which she had been looking for but could not find anywhere else. It was a “fantastic price,” she said.

Vending No More?

This Christmas season though will be the first one in decades to witness a Charlotte Street free of any kind of vending, since the POS City Corporation has made it difficult for vendors to ply their trade on the city streets. You can now traverse the sidewalks of Charlotte Street without having to manoeuvre your way around the range of products piled haphazardly on the pavements. In September, the Corpora-tion held a major crackdown on illegal vending in the city. The Central Market was to be the new home of the street vendors, making way for a cleaner, less crowded city. With the help of the police, the Corporation managed to move most of the vendors off the streets....for a while at least, since late evening and weekends see a few brave souls venturing out who try to take advantage of the lack of police presence.

In their minds the policy makers are trying to rob them of their livelihood. Vending has always been a problem on the streets of Port-of-Spain, with Charlotte Street being the most prominent example. According to one source, before their removal from the city, there were in excess of 100 street vendors who plied their trade on the length of the street, from Independence Square to the POS General Hospital. Many of them had been there for as long as twenty years, following in their parent’s footsteps, and if they had any say in the matter, would remain there.

In an interview, Mayor Murchison Brown stated that the Corporation had been trying to deal with the problem of vending for years. However, success has only come in recent times.
“We have,” he said, “instituted certain measures to prevent vending in the city and so far we have enjoyed a measure of success.” “Despite those who come out on evenings and weekends, Charlotte Street is completely clear during the day,” he continued. “This has really helped to give mobility to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic, as well as to the security forces who now have easier access.” On December 1, the Corporation opened up Woodford Square to vendors. This exercise is expected to last until January 9th, Brown revealed. He said, “vendors will have a proper area to sell their goods, inclusive of tents and so on.” However, Mayor Brown stressed that meat, fish and vegetable vendors are to remain outside the city at the Central Market.

A Mini Chinatown

The Corporation was not the only one concerned with the problem of illegal street vending. Shop owners on Charlotte Street were also seeing red and can now breathe a sigh of relief that their store fronts are no longer blocked by street vendors. One of these shop owners is Shui Tong Yip, who manages Yip’s Variety Store. The vendors, he complained, crowded the sidewalk and the front of his store making it difficult for his customers to gain access. He praised the Corporation’s efforts. The store, which is one of two, has been in business for ten years. Its twin, located a stone’s throw away, was opened 12 years ago. According to Yip, business has seen better days. While the interview was in progress, Yip’s father, Kwok Hung Yip, who emigrated to Trinidad from China in 1986, sat silently looking on. The younger Yip said that four years after his father arrived in Trinidad, the business was opened. He was 48 years old.

When compared to other streets in POS, the majority of businesses on Charlotte Street are owned and operated by Chinese immigrants, which has given the street the reputation of being a “mini China Town.” Many of these stores and groceries have been in families for more than three generations, having been passed down from father to son to grandson. Some of them are fairly new, as is Shop Right Variety Store located on the corner of Queen and Charlotte Street. Edward Lee who owns the store along with his wife, Caroline opened his business in 2001. So far, business has been good. The heavy flow of traffic on Charlotte Street brings numerous customers into his store which is opened at 8.30 on mornings until 6 on evenings. “We carry everything,” Lee boasts.

However, one can never have the good without the bad. Lee said his store is plagued with pickpockets on a regular basis and as a result he has been forced to employ security in the store. Yet his high hopes remain undaunted. The hustle and bustle of Charlotte Street dates back to as far as the early 1800’s when the street was the home of the daily market before the market was moved to George Street in 1816. It also housed public buildings, including Government House, the Treasury and other government offices, from the foreshore up to Queen Street. At the other end of Charlotte Street, Spanish Governor Don Jose Maria Chacon built barracks for the troops and a prison. The Court House and the Town Hall stood between the government buildings and the barracks. All these structures were on the eastern side of Charlotte Street.

Before the city was developed it comprised only what is today known as Nelson Street and Duncan Street. The shopping havens of Frederick, Charlotte and Henry Streets were high wood in which the city’s inhabitants hunted for crab, manicou and other game. The city has come a long way since then. However, many may argue that while other parts of the city have been bitten by the modernization bug, Charlotte Street has remained somewhat “stone-age.” The buildings are old, the newest businesses having been there for six years and more. At night the street becomes a harbour for drug dealers, bandits and other persons of ill-repute who traverse the street during the day as well. The street is narrow, as are the sidewalks, making passage for both vehicles and pedestrians difficult. Many also complained about the refuse which litter the drains, leaving an unsightly mess.

Brown acknowledges that the garbage pile-up on the street was indeed a problem and has been for many years. The Corporation is now undertaking major clean up efforts, with the institution of litter wardens on the street to charge anyone found dumping refuse on the street. Brown also appealed to business owners to remove their garbage at the end of the day. “These business people need to put their houses in order,” he stated.

Vision for Charlotte Street

However, there is still hope for the street, according to one architectural and designing firm. Sean Leonard has a vision for Charlotte Street which he thinks will change the face and the reputation of the street. His firm, Basso Leonard Architects Collabo-rative (BLAC), was in negotiations to start design on a store to be located on lower Charlotte Street. The solution, he said, may not be about getting rid of it but rather working around or with it. “I think that what we have to do is look at the words ‘trade’ and ‘market’ and try to define what they mean in the context of Charlotte Street. This means looking at the nature of the street and as architects designing a way to make both things work at the same time,” he maintained.

Leonard spoke of a completely covered street which would make shopping easier, not to mention more comfortable for customers who have at times had to brave the elements to get their shopping done. He also suggested the closure of the streets to vehicular traffic during certain hours and the construction of toilet facilities with an adequate water supply. “This is not a difficult thing to do,” he asserted. “How-ever, it is up to the policy makers and investors. Unfortunately, if something has not happened for a long time, it is difficult to condition the minds of the people.”