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RUNAWAY BAY, St Ann - In 1998 when Canadian Wendy Fletcher first set foot on Jamaican soil, a part of her automatically knew she belonged to the island. A fascinated Fletcher found herself drawn to the land of wood and water whenever she got the chance to travel.
Then in 2015, she abandoned the life she knew and her job as a consultant in Ontario to operate a bar called 'Just 1 More' in Salem, Runaway Bay. Today, the 53-year-old considers herself a Jamaican.
"I loved my job in Canada and I gave up good money to be here and run a bar where I don't make that much money; but I wouldn't want it any other way. I love it here, [I love] the weather and the lovely people and just being able to walk down the street with a beer," Fletcher told the Jamaica Observer.
Not surprisingly, running a bar on a tropical island was never at the top of her to-do list.
"As a little girl, I saw myself as a truck driver because that is what my father did. Never in my dreams did I see myself in Jamaica operating a bar," she said. "I know I had to be in Jamaica though, because everywhere I travelled after coming here just wasn't fun. I was like, no, I have to go back to Jamaica because it felt like home."
During her visits she would often pop in at bars in Runaway Bay. She loved the vibe. The idea then dawned on her to venture into the business.
"I told the landlord of [Just 1 More] that when the persons who were operating the bar before me left, I would love the spot. It turns out that I got my wish; they left a few months later and I took over. This bar was meant to be mine," she told the Observer. "I chose to [operate] a bar in Runaway Bay because I knew the people and I felt comfortable and safe around them. I moved to Jamaica all by myself and did this all on my own. I had no doubt in myself about it."
For the first three years, business was good, she said, the bar's popularity boosted by being the first to offer karaoke in the area. Competitors joined the space but she still survived, providing a much-needed bartending job for Tiffany McKay.
"For a foreigner to leave home and decide to start a business it shows that she really loves our country," said McKay who has worked at the bar for the past three years. "I appreciate her employing me to make ends meet for my family, especially during a hard time like this."
Henry Morgan, who has been a regular patron for over four years, referred to the bar as his signature spot.
"She keeps the vibe going in the place and everybody loves the bar because she knows how to mesh with her customers. She is a white Jamaican, trust me," he laughed.
But the last year-and-a-half have been difficult for Fletcher as her business suffers from the fallout brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"I have lost a whole lot of money; anything I saved is gone. The hotel across from me hasn't opened up yet and I used to get a lot of customers from there. The tourist and the workers alike used to come and spend," she said.
"A lot of people also lost their jobs so they don't have the money to spend like they did before. I'm even at the point of getting one of my friends in Canada to start a GoFundMe just to get me back up because I am down to nothing."
She is hoping business will pick up now that the COVID-19 prevention restrictions have been eased.
"I'm just gonna wait and see because the same thing happened last year July, they opened up and two weeks after they shut it down again," she said. "If the Government leaves it open and possibly stretch the time, I will start to make some money."