Businessman Chetram Ramkhellawan, who had endured many business blows within recent years but kept on going, died suddenly yesterday morning after collapsing at his Garnett Street home.
Ramkhellawan, who operated the popular Chetsons shoe store marketing Clarks footwear, was 48 years old. He was reportedly in good health and had turned up for work as usual yesterday. Reports are that he experienced a pain in his chest and then collapsed. He was rushed to a private hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
It is believed that Ramkhellawan suffered a heart attack.
Black flags were flying yesterday at the Chetsons store and Et Al furniture store, which Ramkhellawan had also operated on Wellington Street.
Notices were posted at both stores which stated that they would be closed until further notice.
His employees were shell-shocked and many were too emotional to say anything about their boss. One young man who had a black ribbon strapped to his arm said he spoke with Ramkhellawan around 7 pm yesterday, when the businessman visited Chetsons store as part of a routine nightly check.
“He was here and we talk. He looked normal just as when I see he earlier in the day and then I get the news that he dead. That was a good man,” the employee said choking up.
With his head lowered and a look of dismay on his face, the young man related that no matter how he searched it would be hard to find a boss as good as “Chetson”.
Since opening his shoe store in 1997, Ramkhellawan had his fair share of challenges. The blaze that levelled the Metropole cinema in September 2004 also destroyed his shoe store resulting in millions of dollars in losses. Ramkhellawan was in Florida at the time confronting yet another disaster. Hurricane Francis had assaulted Florida and his store there, was among those wrecked.
Though both stores were insured the timing of both incidents hit Ramkhellawan hard. But he pressed on and within several months Chetsons was back in business. Then came the Great Flood of January 2005 which destroyed $10 million worth of stocks at Chetsons.
