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Leaking roofs, foul-smelling drains, and neglected vendor stalls now define Linstead Market, which was once a vibrant centrepiece of St Catherine's economy.

For over a century, Linstead Market has been the agricultural heart of the parish, where farmers from nearby rural hills bring fresh yams, plantains, Scotch bonnet peppers, ackee, and more to sell. It was once the largest market in the parish, immortalised in the Jamaican folk song Carry Me Ackee Go a Linstead Market, a haunting ballad of rural hardship.

Today, its cultural status stands in sharp contrast to the physical state of the market itself. Despite the deteriorating conditions, Linstead Market remains open daily, with dozens of vendors operating both inside the compound and along the roadside. The two-storey structure, which replaced the open-lot market of the past, was meant to improve conditions. But that hasn't been the case.

"The gutter flat, so when rain fall it settle and rot it out," said a vendor who utilises a space upstairs. "Mi affi tek drum, carry it go down through one hole inna di wall. If mi nuh do that, the whole place flood out and the whole a mi things dem damage."

She demonstrated how she uses a tall, blue barrel to catch leaks from above.

"Mi affi lift it up and dump it through the window," she said. "If mi nuh move fast, the clothes dem get wet and mi lose mi whole day."

Water damage isn't the only threat. Inadequate drainage has turned some corners of the market into unsanitary zones, especially near the meat building, where vendors say higglers from outside the market relieve themselves against walls despite the presence of restrooms.

"The scent most days is unbearable," said Paulett, another vendor whose stall is near the affected area. "Yuh cya sell food and deal wid dat."

While the market once bustled with buyers, vendors say foot traffic has plummeted, partly due to online shopping, and partly because customers now avoid the rundown conditions.

"God bless the days wi mek more than $10,000," said another vendor. "Right now mi lose more than mi gain. Wi very uncomfortable."

Those who have spent their entire lives in the market feel uncertain. Paulett noted that her mother also sold in the market.

"Mi did wah turn nurse, but when mi see di money roll inna Christmas time, mi change mi mind," she said. Now, she's struggling to sell 90 pounds of tomatoes after hours at her stall. She travels from St Ann and often sleeps overnight in the market to save on transport costs. Each vendor pays $300 per day to operate in the market, a fee thar they say stings, especially when there's no running water or sanitation, and sales are at historic lows.

"Last week, pipe dry. No water at all and wi still affi pay market fee," one vendor said.

Another pointed to the pile-up of garbage near her stall and added, "Papine Market mark out neat, every higgler get dem spot. Look pon we. This is disgraceful. If dem fix this right, it would a beautiful."

The vendors argue that some sellers operating outside the market avoid paying fees altogether. "Right is right," Paulett said. "Yuh cya wah sell pan di roadside and then bawl out when tings go wrong. We deh in yah a pay and still cya sell."

Councillor for the Linstead Divison of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation Herbert Garriques acknowledged the long-standing issues and said estimates have already been done to correct them.

"It's not that the council is unaware," he said. "The problem is funding. Every time there's a major issue, the council has to request money, and that can take months, sometimes years."

Garriques confirmed that someone has been contracted to fix the faulty gutter system, and noted that plans are in place to merge the old and new market spaces to create additional vendor stalls. However, funding reviews are pending, and no timeline has been provided for when repairs will resume.

For many vendors, this isn't just about lost profit, it's about losing a community that raised them.

"This market pay fi mi pickney dem school fee," one vendor said. "Mi love what is right eno, and we affi talk up fi wi rights. Mi nuh care 'bout PNP nor Labourite, mi care 'bout justice."

As Paulett looked down the near-empty aisle from her stall, she said, "If here so dead, Jamaica dead. Mi cya move from yah so. A yah so mi life build."