Vendor sells in style - ‘This is my job and I take pride in it’

April 24, 2025

Amid the bustling energy of Mandeville's market district, one vendor is turning heads, not for what he is selling, but for how he carries himself.

Clad in a sharp white shirt and neatly ironed pants, 26-year-old Norjae Lawe looks more like a young executive as he sells coconut drops, grater cake and other sweet treats.

"I chose to be that type of person - someone who carries himself with dignity and pride," Lawe said. "I think beyond just the sale. I think class. I think decorum. I think good representation," he added.

A native of the central Jamaica parish, Lawe has been in the sweet treats game for two years. He admits that he has not always dressed this sharply in office-attire. In fact, he started out in simple jeans and sneakers, but made a style shift about a year ago. His deportment has not gone unnoticed.

"People often say I look like I'm heading to an office job, but this is my job and I take pride in it. Just because I'm vending doesn't mean I shouldn't look my best," Lawe told THE STAR.

Although Mandeville is his home base, Lawe isn't bound by borders. He travels to towns such as Junction and Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth, Spaldings in Clarendon, and Christiana in his home parish.

His appearance is more than aesthetic. For Lawe, it's a mindset. His clean-cut image reflects a greater vision.

"I believe how you present yourself is very important and I want to inspire other youths to carry themselves with pride no matter their job," he said.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawe operated a small business selling homemade fruit juices. COVID-19 forced him to pause that venture, but he didn't sit still. He pivoted, began selling coconut drops for Ever Fresh, and kept his entrepreneurial fire burning.

Still, Lawe seems himself answering a greater calling.

"I love theology. That's my ambition," he said. "I want to study pastoral ministries at Northern Caribbean University in September. But, while I'm in school, I want to keep working, keep selling, and keep building towards my future. School is essential to me, but so is being an entrepreneur. So I'll be doing both," he added.

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