The struggle is real for seaside vendor

As the rain lashed sections of St Thomas yesterday, heavy waves angrily beat the sea wall located in the White Horses area.

Perched on the shore is Annecia Lawson's snack shop. She said when she first opened doors this year, the spot was ideal for business, as she had the full support of divers and visitors who would often stop to take a shower at the nearby roadside waterfall. However, these days, she says she sometimes barely makes enough for taxi fare to return home.

"As soon as the business began to take off that was when COVID visit. There were times that I could easily make even $10,000 daily even a few months after corona, but now sometimes I barely make $350 a day. Everything has been going in slow motion," she said.

Very little choice

When the news team visited, it was not yet midday, and although she was yet to make a sale, Lawson said she has very little choice except to pack up her snacks and juices and head home.

"The rain is falling so the day basically finish for me. I am still going to come out the next day though and try and catch a sale no matter how small it is because I have two of my three children to take care of," she said.

Lawson added that she is yet to pick up all the pieces after thieves emptied her shop a few weeks ago.

"I am more terrified of the thieves than the sea. I used to have a lot of goods so to bring them home and take them back was a bit challenging. So I used to take the chance of leaving them here. But one morning I came and thieves clean out the shop," she said. "They took everything except the coconut jellies and the bottle water, so I guess they weren't thirsty. The day before it happened, I went and topped up on snacks and liquor and so on. My glass case was full."

Lawson said she estimated her loss to be approximately $11,000 stating that while the amount may seem like small change for some, it was a major setback for her.

"It was devastating. Those goods would have helped me to clear some bills or even buy much needed things for me and the kids. Right now I am yet to get the shop stock back to the way it was, and every day I have to be carrying home the goods now," she said.