Night market to beat City hustle

A “delayed” idea to offer the public the opportunity to do Christmas shopping outside of normal daytime hours is yielding positive results for a local business.

Jax Enterprises launched the first-ever Christmas Night Market this week and owner Alex Jack admitted the event was not a concrete idea leading into the holiday season.

“It has been sort of a delayed idea. It is not something that we planned. Even up to two,three weeks ago, this was not a part of our company’s plan. But circumstances demanded that we do something different this year and it was well-received.”

The Jax Night Market opened officially on Tuesday, December 19 and Jack said the response from the public just three days into the new initiative has been good.

“We are definitely satisfied with the response we have gotten. It is a temporary event, it’s not something we are planning to do throughout the year but just for the holidays.”

When asked about the initial revenue expectation for the event, Jack said he has recognized that Vincentians make the best of whatever is available to them.

“People always know how to spend and make the best of the season. I don’t know sometimes how they find the funds but I can say one thing- Vincentians know how to enjoy the holidays. They know how to make the best of what little we have.”

Due to the scale of the Night Market as well as the uptick in business at the main Kingstown store, Jack said additional staff had to be brought on. He also revealed that they have diversified the offerings at the Night Market to provide shoppers with more options.

“We focus on a different range of merchandise … Jax doesn’t carry a lot of furniture or electronics. We have that out here. We have done a lot of couches and beds and televisions. Things that need a bigger area for display that the regular store couldn’t accommodate.”

The night market, he said, is an idea that he hopes other businesses will replicate, especially considering the hassle associated with shopping in the City during the holidays.

“This whole country is evolving … everyone works during the day. It is going to be a convenience to customer. It’s not always convenient for people to come through the rush and hustle of Kingstown especially with all the traffic.”