Whalley property owner John Vuoso says street vendors make the avenue look “sloppy” and attract “riff-raff.” Sneaker seller Danielle Legrand says she’s trying to make a living like any other business person.
Vuoso, the head of the Whalley Avenue Special Services District, is tryings to get rid of the street vendors on Whalley, purveyors of everything from pocketbooks to CDs. He voiced his complaints about the sidewalk entrepreneurs at Tuesday night’s Whalley-Edgewood-Beaver Hill (WEB) Management Team meeting.
“We’re only trying to make money, just like them,” said Legrand, a Whalley street vendor, on Wednesday morning. Legrand sells Nikes to passersby, including two pairs of Airforce Ones to the cops who came to inspect her license.
At The Meeting
Vuoso (pictured), who owns seven properties on Whalley, said after the meeting that he thinks that the street vendors are are damaging the perception of the avenue and hurting businesses.
He mentioned the new building on the corner of Whalley and Pendleton where Danielle Legrand regularly sets up on the sidewalk, near an empty retail space.
“That guy pops a tent right on the sidewalk,” Vuoso said. “It’s like a fucking teepee.”
Vuoso predicted that stores will never move in to the open retail spot as long as there is a street vendor out front selling shoes. “If that guy is there, who the fuck wants to rent from them?” Vuoso said.
“The whole thing is illegal,” Vuoso continued. He argued that although most of the vendors have permits, their permits do not allow them to have “fixed assets.” Their operation has to be on wheels. There are a number of vendors, like the shoe salesman, who set up on wheel-free tables, said Vuoso.
The lack of wheels is not the only illegal activity that concerns Vuoso. “What do you think they’re really selling?” he asked rhetorically.
“I don’t think they can be making money selling shoes,” he continued, speculating that they must be selling something more lucrative, like drugs.
Lt. Sydney Collier (an Independent “Cop of the Week”), WEB’s new district manager, said that he has received complaints about the vendors from Whalley residents. He has also heard from businesses that don’t like the crowds that they attract, or the competition.
Asked about the possibility that the vendors might be selling drugs, Collier replied, “There’s always the whisper of illegal activity,” but he hasn’t been able to verify it.
Vuoso has been trying to go through city government to find a way to get rid of the vendors. He suggested raising the $50 street vending permit fee to $2,000.
“None of us want them,” he said during the WEB meeting. “Can we do some kind of ordinance to stop them?”
Edgewood Alderwoman Liz McCormack replied that one possible route would be to “amend the zone overlay in the area,” creating a new zoning ordinance that would prohibit street vending.
Collier (pictured) said that if the vendors are selling imitation Nikes, he could call Nike and see if they’d send out some officials to verify that they’re knock-offs. Then authorities could shut them down.
After the meeting Vuoso said that earlier this year Sony sent out someone to investigate a bootleg DVD operation on Whalley. “They sent him away for 10 months,” he claimed.
Vuoso was not satisfied with city government’s response to his complaints. He’s tired of hearing “We’ll look into it.”
“That’s bullshit,” he said. “Get it done!”
Inside the “Teepee”
On Wednesday morning, Danielle Legrand was sitting in the shade of her blue canopy near the corner of Whalley and Pendleton. She kept an eye out for potential sneaker customers while her daughter India slept in her lap.
Legrand said that since she opened her booth on Aug. 1, the police have stopped by two or three times. Lt. Collier bought a pair of sunglasses; two other police officers bought matching black and white Nikes.
Legrand said she always has her vending license ready to show the police and she’s never heard any complaints from local residents or businesses.
Recently, the police told her to put the legs of her canopy up on little wheels, but they didn’t say anything about her two folding tables. She hasn’t done anything about attaching wheels.
Her vendor permit and license cost Legrand $250 altogether. She said that she has a tax number but that she doesn’t charge taxes. “We’ll just pay it when we need to, I guess,” she said.
The Nikes are genuine, reported Legrand. She said India’s father gets them in New Jersey. Where does he get them, exactly? “I’m not sure. I never went,” she said.
Legrand said she’s not taking customers away from other Whalley businesses. “That’s why we chose way up here,” she said, “to get away from other stores.”
Her discount shoes fill an important need, said Legrand. “Kids going back to school, parents can’t spend $100 on Nikes. It’s hard out here.”
Legrand said that she has a right to be there and that she’s not doing anything wrong. “Since three police came, obviously it’s not a problem. They know the rules,” she said.
In Front of Popeye’s
Another problem spot for street vendors, according to Vuoso, is in front of Popeye’s, near Broadway.
On Wednesday morning, a man was selling DVDs and CDs. Nearby, a man in a wheelchair was in charge of a caged stand on wheels (pictured). He was selling, among other things novels (“True to the Game,” “Bad Girlz”), socks, flip-flops, boxer shorts, purses, and do-rags.
“A street vendor is someone who pays taxes just like anyone else,” said the DVD salesman. “We pay for our merchandise just like everybody.”
The man in the wheelchair interrupted angrily. Both vendors then refused to be interviewed further.