Gleaner vendor finds creative means to survive
DENESE DOUGLAS-SHIRLEY’S family was hit hard by the COVID19 pandemic. Her husband, the main breadwinner in the household, was laid off in April 2020 and she had already been unemployed, having resigned from her job in 2017.
A production manager at a printing company, her husband is yet to return to work.
The 39-year-old woman devised a plan to ensure that the household still had an income and even went on to receive professional training.
“I put my pride behind me and I went on the road and started selling juice close to a hardware store. I also came to The Gleaner and signed up to be a vendor in November 2020,” Douglas-Shirley said, adding that she also saw it as an opportunity to meet people.
Though sales were inconsistent on both ends because of the pandemic and other unknown reasons, she pressed on so she could provide for her family, including her seven-year-old daughter.
She also enrolled in a one-year diploma hairdressing course at HEART College of Beauty Services in September 2019 and spent the greater part of last year completing the training and assessment.
“It was a relief to finish because the journey wasn’t so easy. The most difficult part of it was doing the business plan. I am finished now and I’m feeling good,” she said.
Now on the cusp of a COVID-19-delayed graduation, she is seeking financial assistance to pursue her hairdressing dream.
“My passion where hair is concerned is natural hair. I really want to specialise in natural hair care, especially for the children, but I really don’t have the cash. I can’t afford to purchase the shampoo basin and the dryer,” she said.
Due to a lack of funds, she has taken the space dedicated for the salon and repurposed it into a small shop which she operates in Old Braeton, St Catherine.
She has forged good business relationships with her newspaper clients in Braeton and McPherson Drive and continues to deliver to them.
“I discovered that there was no vendor on the 6 East Portmore route, so I took it on for myself. It has been a fun journey. I pushed the trolley and sold my papers in the area and I have met a lot of people,” she said.
Persons wishing to assist Denese may make a deposit to her account.
Bank: CIBC
Account number: 1002249753
Account name: Denese Douglas Branch: Portmore