The Daily Festival is my mission to create local artisan vending scenes everywhere. Carrboro, NC just happens to be where I'm starting because I live here. I want to inspire anyone everywhere to embark on a quest of eco-entrepreneurialism. I dream of the smallest kind of business that has minimal impact on our planet. I long to return to an evening art scene with my friends while drinking coffee, listening to music, and planning our lives together daily. Currently, I am usually alone out there.
It's really very simple to do here in Carrboro. A Peddler's Permit costs $10 for a year. You get it at Carrboro Town Hall. Fill out the paperwork. They aren't going to ask for pictures of your work or anything like that. They want to know how to categorize your business. Tell them you want to bring your art out on bicycle, bicycle with a trailer/display or pushcart of some kind. You want to set up a chair and sit on a corner for a few hours making your art and selling it off an easel. And you want to be mobile. They will be expecting it of you as well. Tell them you want to be able to move around town depending on where the action is. They will be mostly be concerned about mobility. For them, a peddler is some guy pushing a cart selling stuff and yelling "Peanuts! Hotdogs! Lizards!" We all know that's kind of obnoxious and I would never suggest "barking" at customers. It's a turn off. I always tell them this: " I want to get on my bike, pedal downtown, find a place to sit for a while, set up a chair and my easel and make and sell my art in public." That's my description of my business. They are going to ask you what the name of your business is. I always tell them "Paul Van Ness". That's what the state of NC has as a business name for my sales tax ID. I have heard that a business name draws attention to auditors. I don't know if that's true, but as an artist, I want people to know my name anyway. They aren't going to hand it over to you that day. They have to run it through zoning, the fire chief, etc. You will have to keep coming by every few days asking how progress is going. It usually takes about ten days. Be well dressed and friendly.
Currently, I have a peddler's permit and go out there all alone. It's more fun and profitable when there are several people doing it. I used to do pretty well set up at Johnny's, but now they have zoning issues that have messed up that location. I hope that changes soon. I showed up at an Alderman's Meeting at Carrboro Town Hall a few weeks ago and told them the story of Muhammed Bouazizzi and made a proposal that we erect a sign under the two oak trees across from the Century Center. A sign which reads: Artisan Park - a place for artisans to display and sell their handmade wares. I suggested a few rules such as: Each vendor must have a Sales Tax ID number (can be obtained easily over the phone), Clean up after yourself, and suggested that no permit should be required. Anyway, they made a motion and seconded. Maybe something will become of it. In the meantime, I say we just get together and plan to meet out there vending our art by way of the Peddler's Permit.
Who else is doing this? Well there are several people with peddler's permits. Most of them I do not know. I know the honey guy has one. I know a girl that sells home-made Ice cream sandwiches via bike and trailer with a cooler and a flag. Since I have started searching for others to join me, I have come across a Tarot Card Reader, A Leather Artist, A Recycle Artist and myself makes four. That is a great start! If we can all coordinate our schedules and get out there at the same time! Even if we can't coordinate, we should still get out there on our own. It raises awareness that Street Vending is permitted. It's up to us to pull ourselves together and create an art scene. We can try to persuade Public Arts Committees to organize something, but doing it ourselves will produce a much better market as we will have created it all by ourselves. In St. Augustine, FL. The city allowed us to sell in a park called the Plaza de la Constitution. They expected us to fail. After just a few months, we were selling art from 7am til 11pm while the commercial St. George Pedestrian St. shut down at 5pm. We made it into an attraction despite the odds.
I've vended my art at festivals, daily markets and on public streets as well. I worked with Greg Travous in St. Augustine, Fl., whom taught me everything I know about First Amendment Art Vending. He fought for Artist's rights to come out in public displaying and selling art. He beat the City of St. Augustine at the Federal Court level in 2009. I am an email recipient of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artist's Response To Illegal State Tactics) of NYC. Robert Lederman, the founder, who went up against Mayor Giuliani and won in 1996. He had been selling his art in the street since he was 7 years old and refused to be told it was over. I have sold my art at the Mallory Square Sunset Celebration in Key West while living on a sailboat anchored off Wisteria Island. The nice thing about Carrboro, NC is that there is already a way to be a Street Art Vendor.
