Jamaica's first Artisan Village in Falmouth provides opportunities for young enterpreneurs to showcase their talent
December 5, 2024
Escaping an abusive relationship with a newborn, jobless and nowhere to live, Loi-Renee Letts was at the lowest point of her life six years ago.
Choosing not to wallow in self-pity or position herself for people to feel sorry for her, Letts learnt to crochet.
“I made a little outfit for my baby that she wore while attending daycare,” she recalled. “I told the other parents there why I made it and was shocked by the domestic violence stories that came out of those interactions. The more I shared, the more they shared.”
Realizing how many women are suffering in silence prompted Letts to research resources to help with the healing process.
“I started to share my findings, letting women know there is hope and joy that are there after bad situations,” she said.
In 2018, Letts turned her passion into a business.
Through YouTube, she developed new designs, expanded her line of crochet dolls and also produced potted plants, hats and wall hangings.
‘I also taught other women in the community to crochet and that helped to build my stock,” noted Letts who is from Manchester.
At Jamaica’s first Artisan Village which opened in Falmouth a few months ago, Monis Voice is among about 30 businesses occupying space that showcases the island’s rich cultural heritage, offering a unique opportunity to explore local craftsmanship and creativity.
“Monis Voice is about using the therapeutic art of crochet to educate women and children who have been affected by domestic violence,” said Letts.
Last April, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness opened the Artisan Village located at Gate 5 along the corridor leading to the Falmouth cruise ship pier.
Artisan Village Tour Guide George Bates (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“This Artisan Village is a serious attempt by the government to ensure the diversification of the tourism product,” said Holness. “Where we will have the competitive advantage will be in our people and our culture. Culture has value, and when our visitors come, they want to experience our culture.”
To quench your thirst during tours on hot days, you can drink natural juices created from sugar cane made at Sugar Sticks Bar.
“We have several flavours, including lime and ginger, carrot, June plum and cucumber,” said Co-founder Alexcia Bramwell. “There are also three alcoholic flavours that are created from the sugar cane. In addition, we peel the natural sugar cane and add toppings. You can have rum, ginger and lemon sticks.”
Alexcia Bramwell co-founded Sugar Sticks Bar (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Bramwell and Kacia Morris started the business earlier this year.
“We wanted to recreate sugar cane in a more modern way,” added Bramwell. “People normally cut sugar cane and eat it. We are crafting it in a tastier way where you can enjoy it.”
In Jamaica in the 1830s, Parisian Adolphe Duperly established the first photographic studio in Kingston and published daguerreotypes of the western Caribbean island.
Stacy Brown created a photo studio bearing Duperly’s name at the Artisan Village.
Stacy Brown owns Adolphe Duperly photo studio at the Artisan Village (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“Since I was a little child, I fell in love with art,” the University of the West Indies Management Information Systems graduate said. “I did a lot of drawings that my parents stuck on the walls in the living room. I was working in Marketing until COVID hit. It was at that time that I decided to get back into my creative side. Family and friends told me I could make a business out of this and things have been going good so far.”
With a paucity of children’s books reflecting Jamaica’s history and culture, Lovey Fern Children’s Bookstore offers Jamaican-authored kids story books.
Lovey Fern Children’s Bookstore Sales Associate Jhulecia Lee (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“There is also an area in here where children can come and read and, in the process, get acquainted with the culture,” said Sales Associate Jhuleica Lee.
Entering the Village, visitors will see representations of the Georgian-designed Falmouth Courthouse built in 1815 and St. Peter’s Anglican Church – the oldest public building in Falmouth -- erected in 1795.
A representation of St. Peter’s Anglican Church (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
They will also observe portraits of people of significance in the town’s history.
They include Trelawny Maroon Captain Leonard Parkinson, English Baptist Minister and Missionary Rev. William Knibb who founded Granville as a free village in 1845 shortly before his death and Haitian Revolution leader Dutty Boukman who was enslaved in Jamaica.
Dutty Boukman was enslaved in Jamaica (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Scanning QR codes on the portraits will enable visitors to learn more about them and others who made notable contributions to Falmouth in the 19th century.
Children can also use technology to do scavenger hunts, using QR codes to locate nuggets around the village, while teens and young adults will find the VR technology entertaining as they use simulators to drive fast cars or fly planes, and headsets to explore the underwater world.
Last month, Tour Guide Michael Downer treated foreign journalists to a glimpse of some of the entertainment visitors soak in at the Artisan Village, performing a stirring rendition of ‘This Land is Mine’.
