FOR more than 40 years, craft vendors Fenton Coombs and Oneil Wilmot have made the winding road of Fern Gully, St Ann, their display window, showcasing items for sale that mirror Jamaica’s vibrant culture.

Once a bustling hub for tourists, the scenic area has grown quieter with the introduction of new highways and cruise ship ports that draw business elsewhere. Yet, beneath the towering trees and sunlight-piercing forest, the vendors remain — their brightly coloured craft items adding life to the solitude.

They both believe that hope still lingers in the hush of the new Fern Gully.

Now in his early 50s, Coombs started selling craft items in Fern Gully after leaving high school. He told the Jamaica Observer that he was inspired by the other craft vendors he saw selling their creations to tourists, and wanted to be a part of it.

Coombs, who lives close to the area, admitted that business has slowed, but said all hope is not lost and, unlike other vendors who once filled the space, he will never leave Fern Gully.

“The place is so quiet and cool. We have nature, we nuh inna [air conditioning] so we don’t have to pay any [electricity bill]. We just come and sit and try something. We’re better off; the natural scenery is better…it’s better you go try something than sit down and be sad, so this is the option we choose…

“All when me inna wheelchair probably me can take my wheelchair and take time and come down the gully same way,” he told the Sunday Observer, laughing.

The father of four shared that he’s managed to raise all his children — one of whom is still in school — by selling items in Fern Gully. He noted that craft vendors islandwide are crying about the drop in sales, but he would rather stay in his sanctuary than join the chaos at the ports.

“We nuh have nuh different location where we would go right now. The craft markets a bawl, everybody a bawl in the town; everybody a bawl everywhere so when you can be here one-a-way, instead of in the crowd, a man will stop and will take a towel or probably a wrap off you. If the crowd was here, they probably wouldn’t stop,” Coombs reasoned.

“Sometimes you have a little up and down, but in the ups and downs we still have to come down [to Fern Gully] and see what we can get same way. If we give up, it wouldn’t make sense because we go down right to the end, and to give up right now on the last, it wouldn’t make sense. It’s better we stay here and hold on and fight same way,” he added.

Meanwhile, Wilmot shared that, like his colleague, he has been selling craft items in Fern Gully for more than 40 years. Using it as his sole source of income, he’s managed to raise two children.

The vendor said that with the winter season approaching, he is optimistic about an increase in sales that is likely to come with the uptick in cruise ship visitors who are looking for a calm, quiet place where they won’t feel overwhelmed.

Wilmot shared that some tourists, and even locals, choose to travel to Fern Gully by themselves to purchase items, plus he also has a few faithful friends who help him reach customers.

“From the cruise ship [is] in town, we can [be] able to get a sale…just like how you come here, we have some good people who come and see that we are trying, and they come and look for us, like the drivers that carry the tourists and people just driving by,” said Wilmot.

“…Like how the season [for cruise ships to arrive] a come up, it’s gonna be much better because we have one and two friends who carry people come give us, and that is the greatest thing. The tour guides don’t really stop. The drivers, when they are on booking, they don’t really stop, but once they [the drivers] on freelance, they will come and stop, and we give thanks,” he told the Sunday Observer.

While the Sunday Observer team was speaking with the vendors, their words were proven true as a car pulled up and two visitors stepped out, eager to browse the items on display. Moving from one vendor to the next, the pair eventually left with two souvenirs adorned in the colours of the Jamaican flag — black, green, and gold.

The couple, Tina and Ali James, newlyweds visiting from England, shared that their trip to Fern Gully was purely by chance after Google Maps led them along the scenic route. However, they expressed delight at the unexpected detour, noting that they preferred experiencing the “authentic Jamaica” over the typical tourist attractions.

“I like the hustle. These people are trying to make a living and, as you can see, they are doing a wonderful job. Everybody has to eat a food, so I see it as a way to help out these [vendors] that are coming from the foundation,” said Ali.

“Even if we are travelling through the city and we have to choose, I would have chosen the locals. I always tell her [his wife] that we’ll do restaurants, but sometimes I just prefer pulling up on a little booth and just get my fried fish and festivals, and just get the authentic experience,” he told the Sunday Observer.

Born and raised in Grenada, Ali shared that it was his first time visiting Jamaica, but the island felt like home, pointing to similarities in infrastructure and culture.

Tina said that while it was not her first trip to Jamaica, previous trips had been spent doing typical tourist experiences. This time, however, she said she decided to take a different approach, renting a motor car and skipping the hotels to discover more of what the country truly has to offer.

“I think it’s just important to give back to the community and just let them be able to support themselves,” said Tina.

“…I stayed in Negril last year, and it’s very touristy. I prefer the authenticity of being in an island and I know my husband does. It’s been good and I love the island; I think this is my fourth time back, and it’s just such a beautiful country. There is so much to see, so much to do,” she said.

Newlyweds Ali (left) and Tina James, visiting from England, stop by craft vendors in Fern Gully last Wednesday.

Fenton Coombs shows off one of his items for sale last Wednesday.

Oneil Wilmot has been a craft vendor in Fern Gully for more than 40 years.