The early bird higgler IF you ever happen to be at the Coronation Market in downtown Kingston at 5 in the morning and spot Cynthia Coff, don't be surpised. She's doesn't want to miss the early morning shoppers. "If you don't come early you will miss the likkle early morning sale," said the radiant 54-year-old like a shrewd businesswoman, "And besides, when you come that early by 11, 12 o'clock you will probably get to go home." Coff has been selling in the Coronation Market for more than 10 years and since the competition for scarce dollars among housewives and other market shoppers and higher prices for market produce she has had to resort to the "early bird" principle to ensure her survival. "There are more people selling now than when I just started and all of us are actually selling the same thing. So the competition get stiffer now," she said, slightly bewildered. Coff who was born in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, but now lives in Kingston, sells a variety of peas and vegetables with one of the most charming smiles found among the market vendors. She explained that market life, though already very competitive, is being made more difficult by the ongoing violence and is one of the reasons why she doesn't see a very promising future for her in market life. "Market life no really nice again because true the shooting, it scare people away from the area so a don't really plan to stay here much longer ... I get scared sometimes," said Coff, "when I just started in here wasn't so bad." Although there is nothing that really excites her about market life these days, she says her best days in the market are Thursdays and Saturdays. "Thursdays and Saturdays are like the best days when the higglers come down to buy, but like on a Friday things not usually so good," said Coff. On the not-so-good days like Fridays, she enjoys the company of her friends in the market, whom she says make good conversation and tell quite humourous jokes.
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