Second in a new feature giving a snapshot of the lives and thoughts of people you see on the streets daily. Sunday Observer reporter Sharlene Hendricks speaks to Racquel Clarke-Campbell, Reggae Jammin hot dog vendor at Regal Plaza, Cross Roads, St Andrew.

I was a practical nurse. I used to care for a Canadian gentleman who came here on vacation and I did almost everything for him. I would cook, clean his place, do grocery shopping, and go to the pharmacy.

So when I first saw a hot dog cart, it was while I was on duty. I thought to myself that this was something I would like to do because I attempted business once and it didn’t go far. But when I saw the hot dog cart I immediately thought that it was something that I wanted to do. So, I left the job.

I went to my husband with the idea and I told him that I wanted to start a hot dog cart business. We went to look at the cart but when the man told us how much the carts were going for, my husband say, ‘No, that is car money’.

But I was so determined that I went back to the man, behind my husband’s back and I asked him to rent me one of the carts. He said he would think about it and get back to me. I called him every day, and I was at the man’s office every day, to the point where he was getting tired of me. Eventually he said he would rent me one of the carts. When I went to get it I had no money. We worked something out and he rented me the cart.

I went back to my husband and he gave me a little money and I started. It was a struggle at first because I had to be paying for the cart, and because the location was new to me, it took a time before the business really picked up for me. I failed about three or four times before it was successful for me, but I never gave up because I just believed that something could come of it.

I applied to get a spot, wrote letters to KSAC, and I didn’t even get a response. But I decided that I was going to put it somewhere else, because the first location didn’t work out and at this point the man had taken back his cart and I was back at square one.

I teamed up with Reggae Jammin and the representative at the time put me on to a man that had a portion of them (carts) and he said he would help me out. I went back to my husband again and my husband bought the cart.

When we didn’t get the response for the spot, I just decided one morning to find somewhere. I didn’t even plan it. I just ready myself and when my husband asked me where I was going I said ‘I don’t know, but I am going somewhere. It have to lodge somewhere today’.

I started at the top of Waltham Park Road and that was after I had already failed twice. But I was so ambitious that I started thinking that I wanted to have about three or four of these, even though the one cart wasn’t going so well. One day I only sold $500, but I was not deterred. I was not upset and I was not disappointed. I just knew that tomorrow I have to try again and hope that it would be better.

I thought about getting a loan from FHC (First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union), and when I was walking through the plaza I was thinking that it would be a good spot to put the cart. I sat for about 20 minutes just looking around at the buzz of activities. I went inside the tax office and asked to speak with the manager. I told the person that I have a hot dog cart and I was seeking permission to put it outside, and I got the permission.

The first day I came to Cross Roads, it was so good. I didn’t realise I could sell so many hot dogs in one day. I was so excited, and of course, I came even earlier the next morning. I employed three persons and I started putting in more time and energy. And the rest is history.