By Sachina Russell

Kerry-Ann Clarke, founder and owner of Kerrymanwomanhome, has for some time been redefining the shopping experience in Jamaica and her latest venture again puts her unique vision and epicurean sensibilities on display.

Clarke’s holiday ‘pop up’ Christmas Shop, which took place at New Kingston’s Jamaica Pegasus hotel from November 24 to December 24, proved a hit and is evidence of her ingenuity in battling the impact of COVID-19 on the retail business.

Our Today checked out the pop-up shop last week and found it delightful. Clarke did a fantastic job.

On entering the hotel, a receptionist accompanied customers to the store.

There, one is met by the most decorative Christmas tree highlighted with twinkling lights. Standing by the tree was a functional sanitisation machine. Once inside, you are transported to a winter wonderland, and much of the credit for the décor goes to Aeisha Panton’s company, PussBackFoot.

The onslaught of the pandemic was why Clarke conceived the Pop-Up shop. For many years she was located at St Andew’s South Avenue, but decided to relocate in order to expand her operation and offerings. However, the virus had her rethink those plans.

Fortunately, Clarke had curated stock for the winter season and her clients were constantly reaching out from social media platforms for more. So she decided to collaborate with Panton, her partner, to establish the pop-up shop.

COVID-19 attacks the respiratory system and can be fatal, so Clarke insisted that shoppers abide by safety protocols by wearing masks and sanitising on entering.

As a result of the pandemic, many companies have had to lay off employees and are struggling to remain open for business. Many have turned to online shopping to drum up revenue as people are being asked to remain at home.

One would have thought that this would be a daunting prospect for Clarke, but she didn’t see it that way.

“COVID-19 gave Kerrymanwomanhome the opportunity to focus on our online platform and we set about using it to rebrand and market our business,” Clarke told Our Today.

“We have seen our customer base grow as we have now added both regional and international buyers.”

COVID-19 has had a more positive impact on Kerrymanwomanhome than negative. Not too many businesses can say that.

However, one of those negatives is the temporary suspension of the Collection MoDa, a dynamic series of fashion events that provide a platform for creative talent in the fashion, lifestyle, and art world.

Despite the physical event not taking place, one can still go to the website, thecollectionmoda.com, which is consistently updated with lifestyle blogs.

 Kerrymanwomanhome is a testament to Clarke’s vision, entrepreneurial skills, tenacity and creativity.

As she puts it:  “The Pop Up has been amazing, haha people miss me!”