VENDING IN FLUSHING SIDEWALKS CONTINUE DESPITE NEW ENFORCEMENT

Photo by: Caithlin Pena

     Violette Wolfe, 30, used to sell spiritual items in the West Village, but after three months, business was not going as well as she had hoped. So, she decided to try her luck in Flushing and set up her wares near the LIRR station on Main St. 

     “I am broke and homeless so I started my own business just to make it, to get by, really,” she said. 

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     She came to Flushing, specifically, because she believes that more people appreciate spiritual things, like crystals and incense here compared to the West Village. 

     Wolfe is just among the many vendors that are still trying to make ends meet by vending in high traffic areas like Flushing, many months after New York City has opened back up after the pandemic.

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     Medical masks, hand sanitizers, jewelry, fruits and vegetables, and even live crabs are among the merchandise sold here. Boxes and tables fill the sidewalks, starting around Franklin Ave. up to the gates of St. George’s Episcopal Church between 38th and 39th Ave. 

     “That’s part of the reason I came out here,” said Wolfe. “People are used to seeing street vendors.”

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     The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, they have received 150 complaints about vendors in Flushing from the general public, Community Boards, Business Improvement Districts advocates, and elected officials. 

     The Flushing Community Board declined to comment at this time while the Flushing Business Improvement District did not respond to any e-mails.

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     The department has also conducted 186 inspections in Flushing since June and found 79 violations, which include unlicensed general vending, unlicensed food vending, and continued unlicensed activity. 

     A statement from a DCWP spokesperson said, “Vending is a complicated issue that touches us all—from the vendors themselves to local businesses to residents and visitors. Our goal is to hear concerns from everyone involved and strike a balanced approach that is equitable for all, which includes ongoing education coupled with scaled, strategic enforcement, especially in problematic areas.”

     The Office of Street Vendor Enforcement was established as part of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection back in March by the City Council. Since then, they have conducted 30 educational walks with multilingual staff as well as hosted workshops for vendors in popular vending areas, including Flushing. 

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     However, Street Vendor Project, a membership-based project under the Urban Justice Project, claims that many vendors have been denied licenses, had streets closed off to them, and received “exorbitant tickets for minor violations,” according to their website. 

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     SVP did not reply to a request for a comment.

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     Vendors are not obligated to tell the DCWP where they vend. The department also does not confiscate items. However, the NYPD does, as seen in an incident in the Bronx back in September, where a single mother of three children had her boxes of produce confiscated and thrown out because she didn’t have a license. 

     So far, no similar incident has been reported in Flushing, despite the number of complaints and inspections.

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     As for Wolfe, she says she has no intentions of stopping her vending in Flushing any time soon.