I Needed Pillows
If you’ve been following the blog over the last couple of weeks, no doubt you’ve been reading the first three parts in my luxury resort series, which has yet to conclude (more parts are coming!) However, just so you don’t think I’ve completely crossed over to the other side, the home I maintain for myself in Jamaica is not luxury. It’s normal. And I needed new pillows for my bed one day.
A couple of years ago I posed the question here - “How do you find what you need in Jamaica?”  The answer to that question always presents itself in the street somewhere. When you need something in Jamaica it appears in the right place at the right time.
You know when you’re driving down random streets in Jamaica and you see those street vendors selling the most random stuff? And you secretly wonder if anyone ever buys that random stuff? Well I did!
I’m SURE you’ve seen the stalls that have a bunch of pillows hanging in plastic bags. So I decided it was high time to find out how much I could buy pillows for from a street vendor in Jamaica! One day I was driving up the main street through Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth, on my way to buy NOT pillows when I drove past a pillow vendor. Seeing all those pillows in the street made me remember that I indeed needed some, even though I was on a mission to buy a kettle (again). I’ve bought and paid for so many kettles in Jamaica that some kettle company should sponsor me. More on that HERE and HERE.
Anyway, I pulled over at the pillow vendor and got out to test his wares. There I was standing in the street squeezing and inspecting multiple pillows for their firmness and comfort. After I decided which ones I wanted I asked the vendor how much for two of them. He said $1600.00 JMD, which is around $17.00 CDN. SOLD!
I feel like I got a bargain at less than $20.00 for two decent pillows, plus I was supporting an independent business in the process. FYI: I didn’t buy the colorful, flowery ones shown above, I chose white ones without a pattern that could show through my pillow cases.
Santa Cruz is one of the major business / shopping towns in the south coast area and you can find everything you need there at amazing prices. It’s also a fascinating place to spend a day….the hustle and bustle of that busy little town is dizzying. I have since relocated back to a mainstream area in Jamaica but when I need to make a wholesale product run I will always spend the time to go back to Santa Cruz. The prices cannot be beat and even though I’m back in the tourist hub of Jamaica my heart is still in the south.
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