With the mission to continue stimulating the local economy on the island, the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) organized a market day for local artists at Central Park. The event saw several booths displaying paintings, carvings, jewellery, souvenirs, and other crafts. It was a success, and organizers hope to hold the event again soon.
The event occurred on Friday, March 24th, from 10 AM through 6 PM. Local and tourists visited the booths interacting with the artisans/vendors. The vendors say the response was positive and thanked the SPTC for putting the market day together and hope more programs like this happen to help the local artisans. They said the central park location is ideal for interacting with tourists and potential customers.
Central Park used to be an artisan market.
Up to 2016, artisan vendors were stationed at the park until the previous SPTC administration relocated them to the Honourable Louis Sylvestre Sporting Complex parking area by Coral Angel Street. Initially, the vendors were reluctant to relocate because central park was a more feasible location for their sales. However, after an agreement with SPTC, they relocated to temporary booths with the promise of an official Artisan Market, which is yet to be completed. According to the then administration, the next step was to relocate the food vendors from the central park and arrange an entertainment program during weekends to attract customers to the new ‘temporal’ artisan area. The vendors said both of these propositions never took place. Food vendors continue operating at the central park with no entertainment at the new location.
While the situation at the artisan market on Coral Angel Street has improved, vendors believe more needs can be done to improve their artisan market. They would prefer a location like the central park where the interaction with tourists and other customers is more efficient. The booths are still considered too small, with insufficient space for them to work. However, they have made arrangements to make it work and thank everyone who has promoted their location over these past years.
