Woman’s plan to ditch factory job ‘bears fruit’

A few years ago Fay Hewitt, a 35-year-old mother of two, ditched her nine-to-five job at a yam factory in Manchester and decided to be her own boss.

With the little money she had tucked away, she said she purchased fruits and ground provisions and set up shop via a stall along a highway. To date, she has no regrets.

"The job did a get frustrating because every week dem shorten mi pay, suh mi just no go back. Mi have children to feed, so it never make sense a work and can't take care of them the right way because mi pay a short. Mi just decide say mi ago do some buy and sell and a it dat. Mi deh right at this spot over three years now," she said.

It was minutes after midday when THE STAR team met up with Fay last week at her stall, which is located a minute away from Mandeviille bypass. The rays from the sun were scorching, but the fruit vendor was unbothered.

"A little sun won't hurt", she said, adding that females within the area are not afraid of toiling in the heat.

"A lot of young female down this side into farming and buy-and-sell business. We hot but we nuh stoosh. If you go Mandeville, you will see dem. Mi deh a my stall every day except Sunday, and mi use Sunday to go bush. So the only time mi rest a when mi a sleep. Mi believe in independence even when mi have a supportive partner," she said.

Hewitt's stall is loaded with mouth-watering fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, bananas, sugar cane, watermelons and coconut jelly. While praedial larceny remains an issue for local farmers, Hewitt, who also dabbles in farming, said that thankfully, she is not affected.

"Mi nuh have no problem with tief, thank God. Nobody at all nuh trouble mi. Mi nuh have hands fi sell either because mi hardly ever sit down. Somebody always a buy, and one of the reason is that I have good customer service. It doesn't matter what type of work yuh do or who yuh a serve, respect and manners ago help in it. Not even police nuh give mi problem. All dem ask is that mi keep the place clean and nobody have to tell mi dat because mi ago do it," she said.