Street Vendors in your City

[chris08876]

Does anybody think that street vendors add a unique charm to cities?

Are there street vendors or areas within your city or even metro area where street vendors tend to congregate. Makeshift markets, things of that nature? Does your city allow street vendors to flourish via permits or licenses? Are there any illegal vending sites in your city or certain trends per say?

I'm of the idea that I think they add a ton of charm to a city and the street dynamics. Even in light of negative news via the immigration crisis, I still think they are a necessary thing of the urban experience.

I suppose I'll speak of the big city near me, NYC. Tons of street vendors everywhere. Some areas where they can be found, and areas which also have seen an increase as of the last year in terms of volume of street vendors and ones that have had them for years and years.

1) Flushing Queens - Roosevelt Ave and Main Street along with Northern Blvd
2) Jamacia Queens (Jamacia Ave and Sutphin Blvd, within proximity to LIRR.
3) Canal Street
4) The Hub in the Bronx
5) 5th Ave (they are out there big time)
6) 8th Ave
7) Flatbush Ave
8) Roosevelt Ave near Corona and Jackson Heights

Just some to name a few.


I'd be curious to hear about other U.S. cities aside from NY when it comes to such vendors. Experiences, history, issues, benefits, trends and so on?

[LA21st]

Yes, theres a few in LA.

Hollywood Blvd (at Highland mostly)
Vermont Ave in East Hollywood
Vermont Ave in Westlake/Pico Union
Santa Monica Pier area
Venice of course
Chinatown (I believe?)
El Pueblo
MacArthur Park
Santee Alley
(I'm sure a bunch more)

Then theres those flea markets on the weekends
Abbott Kinney
Melrose Trading Post
Rose Bowl Market
(I'm sure a bunch more)

And if you count the gazillion farmers markets in LA County for weekend vendors too lol

Then you have all the taco vendors. I wouldnt be suprised if LA is firmly behind NYC for this these days.

[iheartthed]

A ton of street vendors have popped up around Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn, near the DeKalb stop on the L. I think they mostly show up in the evening and it feels both charming and chaotic.

[bilbao58]

Apparently there is some controversy about street vendors in a part of Houston known as "Little Guatemala." Seems apartment renters and landlords are not happy with the thriving makeshift market popping up each night in the area. The most vocal landlord is a woman originally from India, by the way.

Some council members want to ban it. The mayor, on the other hand, has stated:

“So many of them are desperate. This is their only income. So, we’ve got to be considerate” and “It’s really kind of exciting, but for the hardship it places on traffic and property owners. But the native food and clothing is something I want to show my grandkids, but we need to do it right.”

[ColDayMan]

Tons of these in old 60's immigrant-owned strip mall parking lots in outer-ring Columbus selling clothes, food, fruits, etc. Food vendors are everywhere in the old city as well but mostly along the High Street corridor, at/near Ohio State, or in immigrant/black areas.

[pdxtex]

Portland's random street vendors are almost all Mexican and pretty much just sell food of some variety. Roadside juice or tamales? Sure why not. My neighborhood has a roving tamale guy and his wife trails him in a car as he yells six for five tahmahlayyyyy. He takes cards too.

[bilbao58]

^ Some of the best tamales I've ever had I bought from some lady in the parking lot of a Home Depot.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Does anybody think that street vendors add a unique charm to cities?

Are there street vendors or areas within your city or even metro area where street vendors tend to congregate. Makeshift markets, things of that nature? Does your city allow street vendors to flourish via permits or licenses? Are there any illegal vending sites in your city or certain trends per say?

I'm of the idea that I think they add a ton of charm to a city and the street dynamics. Even in light of negative news via the immigration crisis, I still think they are a necessary thing of the urban experience.

I suppose I'll speak of the big city near me, NYC. Tons of street vendors everywhere. Some areas where they can be found, and areas which also have seen an increase as of the last year in terms of volume of street vendors and ones that have had them for years and years.

1) Flushing Queens - Roosevelt Ave and Main Street along with Northern Blvd
2) Jamacia Queens (Jamacia Ave and Sutphin Blvd, within proximity to LIRR.
3) Canal Street
4) The Hub in the Bronx
5) 5th Ave (they are out there big time)
6) 8th Ave
7) Flatbush Ave
8) Roosevelt Ave near Corona and Jackson Heights

Just some to name a few.


I'd be curious to hear about other U.S. cities aside from NY when it comes to such vendors. Experiences, history, issues, benefits, trends and so on?

you can’t find a busy strip in the whole city without mango mango ladies around.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

At this point, you would be hard pressed to go more than a quarter of a mile in LA without running into congregations of street vendors. Almost every major corridor or intersection has vendors selling every kind of food from kabob to al pastor to Thai to pupusas

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

you can’t find a busy strip in the whole city without mango mango ladies around.

Speaking of mango and fruit smoothies, they are even on the Cross-Bronx. Selling the smoothies and fruit drinks. Might as well get out the car and buy one, its always a parking lot there anyways. The truckers do appreciate it though.

Yeah that's how you know an expressway is not an "express" way, when they selling fruit on the highway. Horrible route, horrible.

[Double L]

When I visited New York City in 2014, street vendors seemed more regulated than what I had previously seen.

Houston is not talking about eliminating street vendors. The proposal is regulating where they can operate, attempting to address situations where they block entrances or take up parking spaces. We can give them basic regulations but they should absolutely not be banned and it looks like Houston is not considering banning them. Street vendors and food trucks are a great way to start a business with a small amount of money when you are equipped with the ability to make great food. They are an important part of a city because of the opportunity they provide business owners on a small budget.


https://houstonlanding.org/need-to-d...treet-vendors/

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

you can’t find a busy strip in the whole city without mango mango ladies around.

That's true. You also used to see the churro carts everywhere, including on subway platforms, but not so much in recent years. Probably because of they started arresting old ladies for selling churros: https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/03/...r-enforcement/

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by Double L

When I visited New York City in 2014, street vendors seemed more regulated than what I had previously seen.

Houston is not talking about eliminating street vendors. The proposal is regulating where they can operate, attempting to address situations where they block entrances or take up parking spaces. We can give them basic regulations but they should absolutely not be banned and it looks like Houston is not considering banning them. Street vendors and food trucks are a great way to start a business with a small amount of money when you are equipped with the ability to make great food. They are an important part of a city because of the opportunity they provide business owners on a small budget.


https://houstonlanding.org/need-to-d...treet-vendors/

There is a permitting requirement in NYC but not everyone follows up. For example you'll see on Canal Street during the day and night and a lot of times in the evening on 5th Ave, right by the Gucci and Prada stores, the folks selling the counterfeit items set up shop. They are more organized than we think, often having spotters. Cops come, they pack the black bags up and bounce, return later on.

NYPD sort of plays nanny patrol with them but hasn't really stopped much. NYPD seems to be busy trying to crack down on the illegal weed shops (everywhere sells it). Not doing much, will be back, and universe bless the weed vendors. 2 grams of 92% THC vape oil for affordable prices, more power to the Bodegas!

Anyways, there are just too many vendors out on the street. Almost a futile exercise at least in this area to effectively regulate everyone. Clearly a lot not paying taxes but hey, better those folks working and engaging in commerce than in jail or crime, so... there's a balance.

Over in NJ, Newark has some vendors. Typically around Market Street and near Newark Penn. Some have been there for years, like the hot dog vendors on the Northern side of Penn. Good folks.

Washington Heights has skyrocketed with the vendors. More in the last few years. Yeah, the migration of folks has changed the street dynamics in some neighborhoods. I suppose more competition considering everything is so damn expensive. Why get raped at Whole Foods when you can get fresh fruits and food the street. Same shit, cheaper. I'd imagine some of the non-snobby residents benefit from this.

Something to note though that the Brooklyn Bridge doesn't really have vendors on the bridge. This was banned due to the congestion. But they still within proximity just not on the bike lanes or path.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by chris08876

There is a permitting requirement in NYC but not everyone follows up. For example you'll see on Canal Street during the day and night and a lot of times in the evening on 5th Ave, right by the Gucci and Prada stores, the folks selling the counterfeit items set up shop. They are more organized than we think, often having spotters. Cops come, they pack the black bags up and bounce, return later on

I remember when the good bootleggers would get their marks to follow them to a hidden stash lol. In the late Bloomberg era they did an enormous crackdown that chilled out the bootleggers for years. They seem to have reorganized though, even showing back up on Canal Street which was completely cleared at one point. But now the bootleggers appear to be more made up of Haitians and fewer Asians.

[UrbanImpact]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I remember when the good bootleggers would get their marks to follow them to a hidden stash lol. In the late Bloomberg era they did an enormous crackdown that chilled out the bootleggers for years. They seem to have reorganized though, even showing back up on Canal Street which was completely cleared at one point. But now the bootleggers appear to be more made up of Haitians and fewer Asians.

I noticed it's the same in in Rome, Italy the last few times I've been. They're constantly packing up and moving around.

[streetscaper]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I remember when the good bootleggers would get their marks to follow them to a hidden stash lol. In the late Bloomberg era they did an enormous crackdown that chilled out the bootleggers for years. They seem to have reorganized though, even showing back up on Canal Street which was completely cleared at one point. But now the bootleggers appear to be more made up of Haitians and fewer Asians.

Is it really Haitians?? I'm Haitian and they don't really look Haitian to me, but I haven't been to Canal in a while, mostly talking about the ones in Midtown. They look more 'somewhere in Africa' to me.

[mrnyc]

here’s a history of the public markets of nyc, which were built in the 1930s to remove or corral the push cart vendors —


New York City’s Public Markets, Past and Present

By Andrew Gustafson
3 May 2019 • 10 min read


more:
https://turnstiletours.com/new-york-...-past-present/

[IluvATX]

I say let them do what there’re good at and not bother them with immigration bs.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by streetscaper

Is it really Haitians?? I'm Haitian and they don't really look Haitian to me, but I haven't been to Canal in a while, mostly talking about the ones in Midtown. They look more 'somewhere in Africa' to me.

A group that was operating around Canal and Church sounded like they were speaking Haitian, but I could've been mistaking it for a west African French patois.

[streetscaper]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

A group that was operating around Canal and Church sounded like they were speaking Haitian, but I could've been mistaking it for a west African French patois.

.
Yeah I would imagine that


(Btw, the language Haitians speak is Haitian-Creole, or just Kreyol)