Market vendor Luisa Reece expresses her satisfaction with the newly built Nakasi Market, highlighting the significant benefits it provides for sellers of local produce.
“We are really grateful for the government’s response to our request to create a market,” Ms. Reece stated. She recalled the challenges vendors faced previously, noting, “At Nakasi, vendors had to endure selling in the rain and sun; everyone is struggling to stay afloat.”
Now, Ms. Reece appreciates the convenience of having all vendors under one roof. “In the past, most customers would just drive by, making it tough for us to serve them,” she explained. “In the new market, we can relax and wait for customers to come to us.”
She mentioned that the market’s new location is advantageous for both vendors and customers alike. “Customers can park their cars and stroll around to purchase vegetables and root crops,” she noted, contrasting it with the old setup on the main road where people were always in a rush, limiting their ability to properly browse the offerings.
Previously, the town council would often move vendors away from the temporary sheds along the main road. Ms. Reece sees many improvements at the new Nakasi Market that support vendors.
“I come from Nayavutoka village in Ra, which is closer to Korovou Town and Suva than Rakiraki Town,” she shared, adding that reaching Rakiraki requires taking two buses, while it’s a single bus ride to Suva. This accessibility makes Nakasi Market a preferred choice for selling her goods.
“If I don’t sell all my produce, I can leave the remaining items with other vendors to sell on my behalf,” she said, emphasizing the safety the new market provides for storing their products. “There’s no more hassle of moving goods in and out daily. I sell lemons, pawpaws, pumpkin, and cassava that we’ve brought from the village,” she detailed.
Ms. Reece often assists her daughter in selling their produce and has a family connection to rugby, being the aunt of All Blacks winger Sevu Reece, as she is a cousin of Sevu’s father.