MONTEGO BAY, St James — Charles Gordon Market still has no roof, but mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon is adamant that vendors now choking the city’s streets must ply their wares from the facility as of March 23. He said the market can accommodate 500 vendors.

“No roof is not outside either; so if you’re going to get wet inside, you’re going to get wet outside on the road,” Vernon insisted.

He said extensive repairs have been made since the State-owned asset was hammered by Hurricane Melissa last October. In addition, mounds of storm debris were removed from the main building and the adjoining area, dubbed the Gun Court, and the facility has been given a thorough cleaning.

Vernon said the roof will be repaired as soon as the St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC) gets a payout from the insurance claim submitted.

“We are working on it. Repairs will begin in about four months, the insurance will be ready in a few weeks, and we’ll start the repairs within a few months [after that],” the mayor told the Jamaica Observer.

During the most recent monthly meeting of the SJMC, he had noted that the grace period for street vending, extended as city residents recovered from the Category 5 storm, has now ended.

“All vendors on the streets plying wares or trading goods that are supposed to be traded in the market district are asked to move into the facility. We will not be facilitating or accommodating market vendors on the streets of Montego Bay, especially in the downtown area,” Vernon said.

“We are not asking persons to do anything that is not in keeping with the legal requirements and publications provided many years ago. It’s nothing new, we’re just enforcing and reinforcing what needs to be done within the space for order and good practice,” he added.

He said the handcarts have been particularly problematic.

“They are restricted to the market district; no handcart is supposed to be outside of that area,” the mayor said.

Handcarts are used to transport goods and also as mobile vending stalls.

“They are impeding traffic, obstructing movement of people within the space, and just outside of the practice of the regulation of the market law,” Vernon lamented.

Montego Bay, like many other sections of the country, has grappled with illegal street vending for years, with numerous initiatives rolled out to get sellers into designated vending areas. Vernon is taking yet another stab at the problem, and has announced yet another registration drive.

“Registration for all vendors will open on Monday, March 16, 2026. All vendors must register to operate legally under the regulation,” he declared.

Of note, there are new rules for fruit vendors within the city limits, especially those who operate on St Clavers Avenue where murals were recently unveiled.

“Areas where the murals are, where we are trying to build out our art district in the downtown Montego Bay area, they must operate using a reggae cart or a reggae stall designed and approved by the Roads and Works Department,” Vernon explained.

He also said tarpaulins are prohibited in designated vending zones. However, large umbrellas are allowed.

Meetings are slated to be held next week, with all categories of vendors — including food, itinerant, and those in Charles Gordon Market — where they will be briefed on the requirements to vend in the city.

“All vendors are required to attend the relevant meeting for a briefing on registration procedures, site allocation, health and safety requirements, and the phased relocation schedule, and, of course, other general updates,” Vernon said.

His call for them to use Charles Gordon Market did not meet much resistance from vendors the Observer spoke with this week. One woman, who gave her name as Renee and said she would prefer not to have to sell from the market as it is too crowded, said she would, nevertheless, comply. She said there are sometimes arguments among the vendors inside the market, and being on the road gives her peace and the ability to earn.

“I prefer it out here, man. But if a that them say, I guess I have to work with it,” she said.

Another vendor, who opted not to give her name, spoke of the importance of properly repairing the market. She pointed out that the conditions that existed there before the storm were not conducive to attracting customers.

“Some people, them always want to stay outside and purchase because them always a say in the market messy,” she said.

“To me, if them fix it the right way so everybody can come in and have good parking for everybody, I think people would go inside, and so we would have to go inside, which I would understand all of that,” she added.

However, she, like her counterpart, said if the local authorities insist that she must return to the market, she will comply.

Vendors are being told to resume selling from Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay, even as work continues on the roofless venue.

Vendors ply their wares on a road in the vicinity of Charles Gordon Market.

The ‘Gun Court’ section of Charles Gordon Market has been cleaned and is ready for the return of vendors.