Craft vendors at Port Antonio’s craft village say they were told their monthly fee could rise from J$8,000 to J$20,000. The municipal corporation says nothing has been decided. Both sides meet on 11 November.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, 6 November 2026 Craft vendors in Port Antonio are bracing for a meeting next Wednesday that will decide whether the rent they pay for shops at the town’s craft village goes up, after vendors said a representative of the Portland Municipal Corporation (PMC) mentioned an increase of 150 per cent.
The PMC’s chief executive has said no decision has been made on any increase, and that any change would come through dialogue with vendors and must be approved and signed off by a committee. A meeting with vendors is set for 11 November 2026.
What vendors pay now
Since 2014, vendors at the craft village on Allan Avenue have paid the PMC J$8,000 a month, or J$2,000 a week, for their shops, according to the corporation’s chief executive. He said the corporation has absorbed high maintenance costs over the years and has been operating the facility at a deficit.
Vendors say they were advised of a proposed increase to J$20,000 a month, or J$5,000 a week. The president of the Craft Vendors Association in Port Antonio said the figure was raised by a PMC representative during a discussion, and that vendors rejected it.
A landlord, a tenant and a leaking roof
Strip away the politics and this is a familiar landlord and tenant dispute. The vendors’ association president said the roof of almost every shop leaks heavily and the wooden structure is falling apart. Vendors also say they have been told that from December they will have to clean the bathrooms and hire their own security.
The Mayor of Port Antonio has said he would not support an increase from J$8,000 to J$20,000 a month, and that asking vendors to take on security and janitorial costs is very unlikely to happen. He pointed to the deteriorating wooden structure as one of the main problems at the site.
The corporation has also said it wants vendors to submit business plans, a requirement it describes as long overdue.
Twelve years without a change
A rent that has not moved since 2014 will have been eroded by inflation, so the corporation’s case for a review is not hard to follow. Equally, a tenant asked to pay more than double is likely to ask what they get in return, especially when the building needs repair.
Private commercial landlords across Jamaica face the same balance. A gradual increase tied to visible repairs may be easier to agree than a single large jump, and written terms on who pays for maintenance, cleaning and security can prevent the kind of uncertainty the Port Antonio vendors now describe.
Why it matters beyond Portland
Municipal corporations own markets, craft villages and other commercial spaces in towns across the island, and many of those facilities were damaged or worn down even before last year’s storm. How Portland handles this review may be watched by vendors elsewhere who rent from their local corporation.
For tourism towns such as Port Antonio, affordable space for small traders is also part of what visitors come for. Vendors priced out of a public facility may move to the roadside or close altogether.
What happens next
The 11 November meeting is expected to hear concerns from all parties and discuss changes going forward. Vendors and the corporation alike may benefit from leaving it with clear written terms: the fee, when it changes, and who fixes the roof.
Small business owners in Portland looking for shop or stall space, or property owners with commercial space to let, can Post a free advert (J$0) on Jamaica Homes or Browse free property ads on Jamaica Homes.
A fair rent starts with a sound roof. Port Antonio’s vendors will find out next week whether they get either.
Visit our YouTube Community ↗