Falmouth’s popular Bend-Down Market to reopen Wednesday
Published:Tuesday | November 11, 2025 | 12:06 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Falmouth’s popular Bend-Down Market is on course to reopen on Wednesday, just under two weeks after Hurricane Melissa tore through the historic town, leaving widespread destruction.
Falmouth Mayor Collen Gager indicated on the weekend that clean-up operations would begin on Monday morning, paving the way for the market’s early reopening. Three trucks have been assigned to clear debris and reopen the compound.
“We want to clear the parking lot so that, as early as possible, we can have Bend-Down Market established on the compound again,” Gager said, during a tour of the town with Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie last Saturday.
The bustling market, which draws hundreds of vendors and shoppers from as far as Kingston, was flooded and severely damaged during the storm.
Acknowledging the financial strain on vendors, Gager said the Trelawny Municipal Corporation has suspended all market fees until trading returns to normal.
“We understand the plight that everyone is going through,” he explained. “So we’re giving vendors a little free hand to put themselves back together. Then, when we’re finished here, we can organise ourselves properly.”
He noted that several government agencies, including the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Social Development Commission, are working alongside the Trelawny Municipal Corporation to support the affected traders.
Gager also lamented the destruction of several historic structures in the seaside town, including the main municipal building, which, he said, may be too costly to restore.
“We have lost a whole lot,” he said. “Some of these buildings, it doesn’t make sense we try to find that amount of money to repair them. We might have to look at new land and see what can be done.”
The mayor appealed for patience and cooperation as Falmouth works to recover from Melissa’s devastation.
“We are doing what we can and will always work in your favour,” he told residents. “But you must abide by certain rules so we can get it together. We’re going to get our lives back on track.”