Court Street comes alive as market attracts crowds of shoppers
Court Street came alive with costumes and music for the latest round of the neighbourhood’s Court Street Market yesterday.
One of the organisers, Gary Augustus, of the Soulfood Grill and Café, said crowd turnout had been “terrific”.
“There’s a lot of events on and the weather meant that some vendors didn’t show, but those that are here are making money and having a good time.”
Mr Augustus said shopkeepers in the area were gearing up for Christmas after enduring a tough time for retailers.
“My restaurant is doing great, but for a lot of retail merchants times have been horrible. So this is a good boost in our revenues.”
Earlette Stephens, of Ashley’s Lemonade, told The Royal Gazette: “It’s been amazing. It was supposed to rain, but it’s turned out beautiful.”
With the street closed to traffic from Victoria Street up to Tills Hill, and live music belting, crowds wandered a sea of stalls — with some sporting Hallowe’en costumes.
Ms Stephens said the family business had rushed to Court Street after the morning’s Paws to the Park fundraiser for the Bermuda SPCA in the Botanical Gardens.
“It was great seeing people come out with their pets all dressed up, and it’s great to be here now with everybody coming out.”
Selina Dawson, of Bag it All handbags and accessories, said she had been gratified at the turnout.
“The weather held up — thank God for that,” she said.
Lynelle Furbert, of Culture Wear, said the day had been “a wonderful experience”.
“We weren’t really sure what would happen with so many things going on for Hallowe’en,” she said.
“Times have been tough for some of us.
“But as entrepreneurs we’ve all experienced the ups and downs of the market over the last two years. Things seem to be levelling out now.”