Fort Fincastle Vendors: “Nearly Two Years in Limbo, Our Livelihoods on the Line”

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – What was supposed to be a temporary four-month relocation has dragged on for nearly two years. Vendors from Fort Fincastle who moved to Fort Charlotte say their sales have been in the ground ever since, and their futures are now up in the air.

For vendors like wood carver Ricardo Kim Babbs, the frustration is boiling over.

Babbs tells Our News the struggle starts before he even opens for business.

Ricardo Kim Babbs – Wood Carver

“Every morning I clean rat [bleep], I leave the rat [bleep] here today for y’all to see. Every morning, see all the feces. Every morning we gotta go through this. When it rain, puddle of water it there. All my stuff in water.”

But it’s not just the conditions that have vendors frustrated. They say they’ve also been left in the dark about their future.

Ricardo Kim Babbs – Vendor

“They gave us a letter stating four months. I know you could run into difficulties and things don’t have to work the way you plan it. But from we got that letter stating four months, I haven’t gotten a next letter asking for, to sympathize with them or whatever the situation is. You know, like we don’t exist, and you can’t report to no one. You go to the Straw Market Authority, no one there could tell you what’s happening.”

The vendors were originally relocated from Fort Fincastle to Fort Charlotte in March 2025, and this isn’t the first time they’ve spoken to Our News about their dissatisfaction with the move.

Babbs says he understands that plans can change, but nearly two years later, vendors are still waiting for a clear update.

And he’s not alone in feeling forgotten.

Lisa Fowler – Straw Vendor

“They haven’t told us anything. It’s like we don’t exist. It’s like they just throw you from there and forget about you. They haven’t told us anything.”

The vendors say the prolonged relocation has made it even harder to earn a living, and they want to return to an area where they can reach more customers.

Even some visitors say the vendors should be given that opportunity.

Austin David – Visitor

“All these people need to get back downtown to where they can make some money and support their family, that way they don’t have to sit out here and suffer. That way they can get more traffic through their stores and sell more items.”

For these vendors, after nearly two years at Fort Charlotte, they’re still looking for answers and a timeline they can count on.