Street Vending Workshops in Tacoma - Notes and More Opportunities to Learn
In an effort to put more “food and feet on the streets” of downtown Tacoma, a Sidewalk Vending Workshop was held at the North Annex of the Municipal Building Monday 11:00AM – 1:00PM. Hosted by Patricia Lecy-Davis, Embellish Salon and Tacoma City Council Member Marty Campbell, it gave a quick but informative review of the newly-relaxed regulations for street vending. Mike Davis, Food Program Supervisor for the Tacoma/Pierce County Health Department, followed up with a discussion of the requirements. All three took about 40 minutes of questions after their presentations from the 40 or so attendees.
In order to encourage and explore the possibilities of street vending, the City has worked in partnership with the health department to streamline the application process and open up vending to an increased food menu. Currently vendors are only allowed to sell espresso and hot dogs. As a pilot project, the new plan would apply only to the boundaries of the Business Improvement Area – S 7th to S 21st and A St to Market (between 21st and 15th) and to Court D (between 15th and 7th). If all goes well in that area it would be expanded city-wide.
Each street vending permit can give a vendor two locations and the ability to use Tollefson Plaza at no extra expense. Two permit types are available: Year-round and seasonal. Seasonal are applicable from May 1st through October 31st.
Street vending for Arts and Crafts has also been included with this restriction: Only original creations may be sold. “Items made from kits, imported items, factory-made items, unfinished work, arts and crafts supplies, and manufactured or kit jewelry are not allowed.” The rationale for these restrictions is to provide a positive venue for the promotion of local arts, while avoiding a “flea market” atmosphere.
There will be another free workshop on Wednesday evening, 6:00PM at the Tacoma/Pierce County Department of Health Auditorium, 3629 S. “D” St. For more information or to register go here.
More complete information on health requirements, including applications, can be found at here.
More complete information on City requirements and applications can be found here..
The workshops are sponsored by Go Local, the City of Tacoma, the Downtown Merchants Group, “Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce:http://www.tacomachamber.org/index.aspx), and Hemisphere Design and Marketing.
For more reading on street vending in Tacoma, see past Exit133 coverage here.
Filed under: General
23 comments
J Jesse April 11, 2011
This is good stuff! Glad to see 40 people attended the meeting. I am concerned about one thing though. Are they still saying that this is a pilot program and that it may or may not be adopted in the long run? This would seriously limit people wanting to invest in a food cart if it’s all a “maybe” for the long term. Anyone know specifics on that?
J Jesse April 11, 2011
The arts addition to this food cart law is cool too. Maybe it should go a step further and define what a sidewalk in front of a business should be like if there’s going to be businesses on or very near them. IE – Is there room for a wheelchair and appropriate clearance for pedestrian traffic? If there is extra room, allow outdoor seating in front of restaurants and pubs with the extra sidewalk width – without a costly permit.
R RR Anderson April 12, 2011
Mofo from the Hood, This is your big chance for that bible cart you’ve always dreamed of!
M Marty April 12, 2011
@ Jesse
Yes it is pilot program. The intent is to keep the area small and the energy focused until we can see the impacts. Address any impacts and then expand city wide and even county wide with a well developed program.
All carts must keep five feet of clearance around them.
They will also need to have a street occupancy permit, same as restaurants.
@ RR. Sorry a Bible cart would not be permited under this program. Art sales must be “Art of orginal production”.
C crenshaw sepulveda April 12, 2011
Perhaps Mofo can’t have his bible cart I’m sure there is room for extemporaneous preachers on our sidewalks. No great city is without its extemporaneous preachers.
D Daniel April 12, 2011
Swap Meets and Flea Markets may be “cool”, depending on one’s interpretation of the assessment. But such things are better handled as planned events instead of on-going programs. Street vending should be a focused program if it is to be successful. Better to work for the good that’s already being supported than wish for it to accomplish more than it needs to (or perhaps should).
M Melody C April 12, 2011
Cudos to Marty and Patricia – those two have more ideas and energy than most can appreciate. Sorry to see the limitations though. I have to agree with Erik B, if you want the faire atmosphere, you have to permit the faire. If you truly fear the very thing you are trying to create, you’ll end up with nothing.
If you must impose limits – limit locations, limit numbers per location, but don’t focus on what the tradesmen choose to offer. Seasoned vendors will tell you that more vendors means more traffic. Leave it to the marketplace to choose the wares. If the public won’t buy, the tacky stuff goes away. Just as the upper end offerings will evaporate if there are no takers. And whatever does attract business gets you your results – feet on the street.
M Mofo from the Hood April 12, 2011
These type of workshops should be conducted on the street.
V Volcano Boycotting RR Anderson April 12, 2011
Mofo hand copies bibles pre-printing press monk style… each one is an original work of art.
J Jesse April 12, 2011
@Marty: Thanks for the response! Looks like all of my concerns have been thought through already.
One more thing – what if a few food cart vendors wanted to get together with someone like Sanford and Sons and create a Saturday Market ala Portland’s. The carts would still need to be five feet apart if they have to be parked on Broadway outside of Sanfords? “Events” must be different?
Y You're Welcome April 12, 2011
Sanford and Son already has a Saturday market. The 1st Saturday of the month.
Frighthouse has a market on the second Saturday.
L low bar April 13, 2011
i like the idea of a point defiance camel turd sandwich with pill mill chips and large refinery shake cart
M Mofo from the Hood April 13, 2011
There’s an apparent demand for cart vendor handmade Bible’s. But that’s just not my calling.
My thing is letterpress hotdogs.
T Two Doors Tall April 13, 2011
@ Jesse, I don’t see how Marty addressed your concerns… you pointed out that a pilot program would set people up for big investments with no guarantee of any policy becoming permanent. Marty simply confirmed that is a concern. This is only a samall area experiment with no confirmation it will become codified – doesn’t seem “thought through” at all.
J Jesse April 13, 2011
@You’re Welcome: I know Sanford and Sons has a Saturday market. It’s a new thing and I wish it the best of luck. However, there’s no food, music, and very few crafters/artists.
@Two Doors Tall: There would be no need to do a pilot program if the city would just shamelessly copy, verbatim, other city’s food cart codes that we know already work well. I am sure the successful cities would even help if you approached them with flattery about their codes.
T Tim Smith April 13, 2011
I would think we should allow rare booksellers, specialized newsprint, historical maps and such to be sold in a central area one day a week.
L low bar April 13, 2011
good call, sir smith. but don’t forget those in the market for rare pirate maps, specialized self help books and historical newsprints like the one about “you like tacoma”. the puyallup language edition i hear is a good read.
V Volcano Boycotting RR Anderson April 13, 2011
anyone with a cart is welcome to frost park from 12 – 1 pm on Fridays. A local/organic chalk and charcoal vendor would be very nice.
P Penelope April 14, 2011
Regarding the “pilot program”, it’s purpose is to have a controlled area to work out the kinks. Both the City and Health Dept. made changes with the intent that the program expand to the rest of the city and maybe county.
Bathrooms… Don’t see this as much iof a problem. There usinesses behind this program and I’m sure they would be happy to support it in that way.
Commissaries…. Now here is a possible challenge. If anyone has comercial kitchen space or real estate that could house a cooperative commissary/comercial kitchen space, it would create a great opportunity for folks.
B broadweezy April 19, 2011
Agree with 21. A community or cooperative kitchen space would solidfy and encourage substantive participation in this program.
B broadweezy April 19, 2011
P.s. – it would also be really useful and advisable if the Tacoma/Pierce County Chamber, City of Tacoma, TPCHealth Dept, or some other organziation offered a Food Truck/Cart 101 Course to help local entreprenuers or wannabe entreprenuers learn how/where to purchase a food truck or food cart, how to retrofit with essential cooking stations, marketing tips, etc. So far from what I’ve seen online, even Seattle doesn’t offer such a resource to its local businesses.
V Volcano Boycotting RR Anderson April 19, 2011
New Food Carts Tacomic! (coming soon)
P Penelope April 20, 2011
Thanks for the input Broadweezy. Well see if we can add it to the list.