OCHO RIOS, St Ann — Diana Simpson has been selling toys, clothing and household products from the back of a small bus on Market Street in Ocho Rios, St Ann. This is where she has taken up residence for the past two weeks, hoping to grab additional sales for the Christmas season.

For more than 20 years, Simpson sold her wares at the Ocho Rios Primary school. This was how she made a living. But with schools closed for more than a year because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, her small business has been reeling. Last Christmas didn’t provide her with much opportunity to make up for her losses, so she is hopeful that the 1:00 am curfew this Christmas and New Year’s eves will get her more sales.

“Mi glad for the little extension on the curfew because it mean mi can out here longer and get more customers and that bring sales. Here in Ochi is mostly in the evening and night hours the people them come out, so that is good for us,” Simpson told the Jamaica Observer.

“Last year by 11 o clock mi have to pack up and go home and this year mi get time so mi can’t be ungrateful. It is a good move,” she added.

She has adjusted her stock for the Yuletide season.

“School lock now [so] mi have to be out here on the street because mi have to take care of my bills and so on. So mi make sure mi get like toys for the kids and things that people would want to fix up their house,” she said.

Though fully vaccinated, the 61-year-old said she is still mindful of COVID-19. She makes it a priority to sanitise customers’ hands before each transaction.

“Mi wear my mask and mi have my hand sanitisers for each customer and every time mi collect the money mi sanitise my hands also. Mi not young again so mi have to be cautious,” she said with a hearty laugh.

Another vendor in the market district, Kimesha Thomas, who usually sells at the Ocho Rios High School, said she is also looking forward to this year’s festivities.

“I will be staying out late for grand market and new year because a lot of people will be on the road and that way we can get more sales and that is good. Last year mi never make any money at all, so I hope this year will be better,” she told the Observer.

Clothes vendor Michael McPherson is not as optimistic. He relies on partygoers for sales.

“The selling of clothes not gonna really step up because no party not keeping and people not going anywhere so they won’t see it necessary to waste their money on clothes,” he said.

“This curfew hours not really working out because people use to grand market going until morning and now them have to come off early. So probably them not even gonna come out because they know they will have to come off early,” he bemoaned.