THERE is nothing Carlton Mendez enjoys more than seeing his final masterpiece on display outside his gate in Stokes Hall, St Thomas.

Nothing, that is, except the knowledge that his handiwork occupies a place of prominence in his customers’ homes.

Dozens of concrete ornaments already line the street in front of his house — lions, angels, swans, rabbits, flower pots, benches, tables. And every day he makes more, adding to the impressive inventory.

“I usually come up with a lot of these designs and then I make a variety of things and put them on display at the front of my yard because everything has its owner,” he told Jamaica Observer North East as he invited the team for a viewing.

It is hard work preparing the concrete mixture and cutting the steel to fashion the pieces, but Mendez’s love for what he does makes it more than a profession, it is a hobby.

The self-taught Mendez said he began making concrete ornaments eight years ago and has consistently honed the craft over the years. A former landscaper, he said he decided to teach himself to make a few simple pieces at first, after someone expressed an interest in getting concrete columns similar to some he had bought.

Trading his earnings from a landscaping job for a fibre glass mould, Mendez set about learning how to make the crown head-shaped columns. His desire to excel propelled him further, and before long he had learnt to make his own moulds to create the unique designs for which he is now known.

“I started making all types of moulds with some unique designs,” he said.

The business — Mendez Ornamental — has since grown and now employs three persons, whom he personally trained.

“I want to go as far as possible in this business and the more people come to buy the more we will have work to employ more persons,” said the small business operator.

One of the most sought after designs is the concrete bench, which he said takes up to two days to be made and which are usually painted in bright colours. However, some of his most attention-grabbing pieces are the bird baths and threepiece concrete tables.

According to Mendez, his customers travel great distances to get some of his select pieces, although he admits that sometimes business is a bit slow.

“I work every single day to make these pieces, but sometimes I think a lot of them are not yet sold because people don’t know about me,” he said, adding that he has recently established an outlet in the busy Morant Bay town.

“Business is sometimes slow because people see it and want it, but things don’t sell as fast out here in the country as in the town,” he said.

He hopes, however, that someday Mendez Ornamental will become a household name, providing employment to scores of persons in this rural community where unemployment is very high.

The items range from a low of $250 to a high of $15,000.