After 20 years in the business of fashioning craft Kenneth Nelson – Ras Judah to the brothers and sisters of the faith – is unsure of the condition of the industry. He wanted to know whether the question had to do with “the business of craft” or whether it had to do with “craft as culture”, when he learnt that we were seeking a business perspective on the sector. It was the former; he knew that we were really there to talk with him about GuyExpo.
Judah was banking on Saturday evening being good for business. Like the other vendors at GuyExpo, he opined that it was as good a retail market as any. He had rented two trading spaces in the open air. They cost him $30,000 and he had taken his three children along to help him. His wife was running one of the two stalls.
The creative arts are a way of life for Judah. It is also a livelihood. Judah trades on Merriman’s Mall and on Main Street avenue, adjacent to Courts. His stall at GuyExpo displayed a host of jewellery and trinkets made from an assortment of wood and coconut shells with tiny painted flags and beads. He was offering chains adorned with pendants made of