Small Business · Grenadines Wharf

Vendor Says Carnival Closure at Grenadines Wharf Is Crushing Small Business

By Vincypowa News Staff

Small businessman Gerald Brown is calling for urgent intervention after vendors at the Grenadines Wharf and cruise ship terminal were shut out of trading during the Carnival season, one of the most important earning periods of the year.

In a public statement, Brown said small businesses in the area were closed throughout Carnival, a time when vendors depend on heavy foot traffic to earn, pay their port rent, meet their obligations, and support their families.

According to Brown, the closure affected drink shops, ice cream vendors, food operators, and other small businesses that rely on access to the wharf and terminal. He accused the Port Authority and its board of treating small operators unfairly while larger, organised interests were allowed to benefit.

Brown said the timing made the decision especially damaging. Carnival, he said, is one of the few periods in the year when small vendors can reasonably expect strong sales. Instead, gates were locked, police kept people outside, and vendors were unable to open.

“Nobody talking about compensation. Nobody talking about reduced rent.”Gerald Brown

He said no one in authority had raised compensation, a rent reduction, or any other form of relief, even though vendors are still expected to keep paying the rent and port fees that ultimately fund the board.

Brown said he had held a brief meeting with the Port’s marketing manager and understood that businesses might be asked to close for a limited window. He said the closure was later extended beyond what he expected, leaving vendors locked out on key Carnival days. When he went to the wharf, he said, the gate was locked and police were turning people away.

He also questioned why small vendors had to be shut down completely when events and ordinary port activity could have been arranged so that different businesses operated side by side. Fair treatment, he argued, would mean letting vendors trade alongside organised activities rather than clearing them out.

Brown raised a public safety concern as well. He said the Grenadines Wharf is a critical access point for the Southern Grenadines, and that the lower section of the port is where the coast guard brings in people who need urgent medical transport to Kingstown. He questioned how a major event could be allowed to restrict access to the only port serving that route.

“That is the only port we have.”Gerald Brown

Brown appealed to government ministers, the Port Authority, the board, radio stations, news outlets, and the wider public to take the matter seriously, saying decisions were being made over vendors’ heads without proper consultation or relief.

He also reminded the current government of its promise to support and develop small business, and said vendors now want that commitment reflected in action.

“This is one of the reasons why you guys get vote.”Gerald Brown

For Brown, the dispute is about far more than a single closure. It is about whether public authorities treat small entrepreneurs fairly during national events, especially when those vendors are paying rent, following the rules, and trying to earn an honest living.

Vincypowa News is seeking comment from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Port Authority on the closure and the concerns Brown has raised. This report will be updated with any response.

“We tired. We feel the pain.”Gerald Brown

This report is based on a recorded public statement by Gerald Brown. Quotations reflect his own words, lightly edited for readability. Vincypowa News welcomes a response from the Port Authority and any affected vendor.