Vignettes from a City Rife with Sidewalk Vendors
Excerpted Voice-over from a scene in “Rolling Commerce”, a January, 2015, documentary in which the effects of Tacoma’s new relaxed Street Vendor ordinances are observed.
Dale Lundgren, 10th and Commerce
“All my life, I’ve loved seafood. When I was a little kid, my father used to take me to the salmon ladder. Even then, I’d watch the little fry and think to myself, ‘Watch your scaly backs. I am going to eat you.’ When I was a teenager, I used to heckle the departing fishing fleets, daring them to bring back enough fish to satisfy me.
“During my college years, I read “The Old Man and the Sea” and hated my father. Wisely and patiently, he told me, ‘Son, you need to channel your interest in seafood into something constructive, instead of hating me and the rest of the world.’ I laughed, and said, ‘Ha! I’ll make my own way, you soulless beefeater! I’m going to work at Mrs. Paul’s!’
“It was the biggest mistake of my life. Soon, I took no joy in the succulence of scallops. I ate bologna. I cried at the mere sight of women in fishnet stockings.
“Three years later, I returned to my father as a broken man. He said, ‘Son, have you read that the City of Tacoma has changed their municipal code, and lowered the minimum liability insurance sidewalk vendors are obligated to carry? Used to be $500,000. Now it’s $200,000.’
“Soon, I was set up here on Commerce with my new street-cart: Dale’s Bottomless Shrimp Cocktail. I buy cut-rate shrimp from Baja, and sell a “Bottomless Bucket O’ Cocktail Shrimp” for $8.99. Yep. 70 shrimp for $8.99. A typical customer will take about 185 minutes to devour that many poorly-cleaned shrimp. [ed: Shrimp should not be consumed after being exposed to un-chilled temperatures for more than 2 hours.]
“In this kind of business, some of your customers are going to die – or at least get seriously ill – from food poisoning. If I was forced to carry a heftier liability insurance policy, I couldn’t afford to pay all my Health Code violation fines. And my dream would be dead. It’s rough enough competing with Aggressive Pan-seared Pea-snap vendors!
[* The City still currently requires vendors to carry $500,00 in liability insurance.]
Tacoma News Tribune –
BREAKING NEWS: Are the City’s Street Vendor Location Reviews Thorough Enough?
FRIDAY – 6th Avenue and Pine Street
All Chinese commerce at the Port of Tacoma has ceased due to an international incident in the 6th Avenue district last night.
After successfully proceeding through a rigorous location approval process, Barrett Melvin’s “Tibetan Na’an Sandwich Cart” opened for business. The delicious fare was an instant hit with Friday night revelers, but sparked controversy when the line of customers blocked the door of the Fortunate Dragon Panda House.
This incident comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that the ailing Mira’s Greek Gyro Cart on McCarver will be rescued from its recent slump by the addition of Kronlage’s Authentic Bratwurst SideKart. Mira is hopeful that the brat business will fare better.
The Mayor’s office has stated via press release that any future Sidewalk Vendor Permit applications mirroring current news stories will be denied.
[Location review processes and other considerations were reconsidered by the City in November 2007.]
Survey Results – Rasmussenberry (MOE 2.1-99%)
Why Tacoma’s Citizens Don’t Walk on Their Sidewalks Much
20% – Itchy shoes
18% – Prefer to drive, destroy environment for unruly, tasteless future generations
14%- Lack proper permit
17%- Fear of flash-mobs
4% – Fighting indoor crime
6%- Cannot disengage seatbelt
11%- Prefer to swim the waterfront
[There is still no magic bullet.]
Poetry Reading – Mandolin Café
Local poet Damien Armbinder notes that current City codes allow sidewalk vendors to serve all manner of rabble until 2am; Whereas werewolves are most active after 2am and are not able to begin a street vendor business under these conditions.
He glides, smoky sweetly –
Returned to the street
By every potential employer.
In daylight hours, they mock:
“You smell of dogs
And the flesh of night-birds,”
They say.
The werewolf lurks
Outside hope,
On the outskirts of
Destiny.
Tacoma, what avarice
Is this?
What cruel code keeps
The werewolf from his
Fresh Kettle-Korn Kart
Between the hours of 2 and 6am?
Though the sun shined
Naught at such hours
The werewolf’s heart would be bright
With pride and
Salty-sweet profits –
If only –
If only –
But in Tacoma,
A werewolf cannot run
A Fresh Kettle Korn Kart
Between the hours of 2 and 6am.
Another jobless casualty.
Our cold code shoulder!
FURTHER READING:
State Code: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=246-215-121
Past Exit 133 Coverage of Topic: How Do We Encourage Sidewalk Vending
NEXT WEEK: How to celebrate National Weights & Measures Week in a traditional way!
Filed under: General
18 comments
T Tacoma Fan April 15, 2010
Is this guy for or against food carts on the streets of downtown Tacoma?
R RR Anderson April 15, 2010
I believe the author is using “humor jokes” and hyperbole to illustrate the food cart business-killing environment that we all suffer within today.
Tacoma needs more food cart vendors and we need them now.
A Altered Chords April 15, 2010
Don’t you want people out walking around before you open your hot dog cart business?
Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse?
C captiveyak April 15, 2010
There is a theme in my rants so far: more concerts in Tacoma. Concert-goers eat from sidewalk carts. This can only lead to a piece advocating looser public nudity laws.
R RR Anderson April 15, 2010
I believe the traveller would be on board for the looser public nudity laws.
J Jesse April 16, 2010
Way strange. I really liked it.
D dolly varden April 16, 2010
I have the facts and I’m voting yes.
T The Breeze April 16, 2010
Yes the lack of street vendors is stark. In most major cities – ones that are funtioning, vibrant, international, progressive, inviting – the street vendor is a common site. Often they may also be a signature tourist attraction. Nothing like some bunny chow when in Capetown, htting the Wangfujin in Beijing for some “crispies”, Cevapi in Dubrovnik, or a breakfast beer and a currywurst in Augsburg.
But Tacoma…..for some good insight on the struggles of a street vendor in Tacoma go visit the owner of the Rennaissance Cafe on Pacific across from Union Station.
T The Breeze April 16, 2010
Imagine Tollefson plaza with some food vendors, outdoor book vendors, flowers, and a speakers corner,
C crenshaw sepulveda April 16, 2010
I suspect it all depends on what you want to buy from a street vendor. Certain products are freely available on the streets of Tacoma. The other day some guy tried to sell me a pit bull pup out of the back of his car.
R RR Anderson April 16, 2010
Today at Frost Park I met a man selling ice cream out of his cold-storage bicycle. Jeff The Ice Cream guy. I suggest exit 133 go interview him as a follow up to this blog post!
He is sponsoring the next chalk off!
C crenshaw sepulveda April 17, 2010
“Imagine Tollefson plaza with some food vendors, outdoor book vendors, flowers, and a speakers corner,”
Hobos don’t even use Tollefson Plaza. If a hobo will not use a park then no one is going to use a park. If you have a park and it is not hobo approved it doesn’t have a chance of being any kind of vibrant space.
D downtown April 21, 2010
I heard a rumor that the Pierce County Health Department is currently working with a group of downtown stakeholders to create a street food vending pilot project in downtown this summer.
In the past the Health Department and their fees have been the major barrier to street food vending, not the City.
J Jake April 22, 2010
It isn’t a rumor they did have a meeting with some restaurants.
From what I heard the fees are still a major issue among other things.
I think for this to work the TPCHD needs to ease up a bit on fees and restrictions and let it happen organically.
C crenshaw sepulveda April 22, 2010
If the Health Department isn’t careful there will be all sorts of bacterial and food borne illness happening organically in our street foods.
L leftcoastgrrl April 23, 2010
If taco-trucks and falafel bikes can become institutions in cities like Oakland, Portland, and even Lexington, KY, I’m pretty certain we can eat our weight to support street vendors. As long as they’re not serving up fried pit bull.
Bring it. UWT staff like me are starving.
R RoachCoach April 23, 2010
Tacoma’s Citizens Don’t Walk on Their Sidewalks Much…because sidewalks don’t always exist.
M Morty April 25, 2010
I am for sidewalk vendors and against lengthy self indulgent articles.