ROSE HALL, St James — Reggae retail brand Cooyah now has a store in Montego Bay, and its owners are thinking about expanding internationally.

“Cooyah is for everyone, but first of all, for Jamaicans,” Gary Codner, one of the partners in the venture, told the Jamaica Observer during the official opening of their newest store in the tourist-friendly Main Street mall in Rose Hall on Wednesday.

“Don’t make the location fool you. Main Street has a great vision and individuals will see what will happen because we are bringing locals here. If you look at it, it is our slang, our art, our culture and that is what Cooyah is about,” he added

Codner is also chief executive officer (CEO) of KEMET, the company tasked with distribution of Cooyah products.

“Main Street played a big part in us coming to Montego Bay. They recruited us and they did a good job in doing so and we brokered a good deal,” he divulged.

Cooyah founder and CEO Homer Bair is pleased about their foray into Montego Bay.

“We believe in the culture and the culture is also the people, the music and the food. So we decided we want to push that again one more time and take it to another level,” he explained.

The addition of the Montego Bay store comes on the heels of last April’s official relaunch of Cooyah’s flagship retail outlet on Hope Road in Kingston. That reopening came after a decade without a retail presence in Jamaica.

According to Codner, the Montego Bay location cost upwards of US$80,000 and took about six months of work to get up and running.

“It’s larger than the one in Kingston but still has the feel of being what Cooyah is about: the culture of Jamaica. Patrons, including locals, are reacting well to that so far,” he remarked.

Shoppers can choose from a wide array of T-shirts, hoodies, sweaters and tank tops emblazoned, in most cases, with the unique artwork for which the company is known.

“Our launch was positively impacted this morning because we have had a good turnout of customers. A lot of the locals who wanted to get some Cooyah gear,” said Codner at Wednesday’s event.

He said based on the feedback they are now getting from beyond Jamaica’s borders, consideration is being given to further expansion.

“We have people in Cayman Islands who are asking for franchises, Milan in Italy and just generally the interest is growing and we’re looking into Ocho Rios. We would love to go back to Ocho Rios,” he said.

President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Robin Russell, who was on hand to participate in the opening of the Montego Bay location, welcomed the move.

“These are the brands that I would like to see coming back into the tourism world. The way the world is connected now, people are looking for unique brands and experiences and brands like Cooyah are definitely right there,” he said.