Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:31:39 -0500 (EST)
From: David Ismay
Subject: Pittsboro’s Mobile gypsy vendors
There are so many parts to this problem it is a joke. First and foremost, these folks that set up on the curb and in parking lots ARE TAKING BUSINESS FROM PITTSBORO FIRMS. To sell in Pittsboro, a vendor must have a vendor’s licence obtained from the town of Pittsboro- at a cost of $25.00 per year. They can set up anywhere they like, provided they have WRITTEN PERMISSION from the property OWNER. Those selling food (especially that prepared on the site) must be inspected and passed by the Chatham County Health Department.
Take a look the the vendor’s set-up- These vans and cooking things cost thousands of dollars- a sure sign that the vendor is not hard up for money. As for the vendors paying Noel to set up in the old car lot, I suspect that is baloney. (Free everything is these vendor’s style) I overheard Noel tell someone that he could not charge vendors for space, or rent out space, because it would be in violation of his lease. (If the old car lot is indeed leased, why is there a big sign saying it is available for lease?)
It is a matter of personal taste that Noel’s produce is wonderful- Most of it is what would generally be found on the reduced table at most supermarkets. Most of what I have bought there, had a shelf life of just under 24 hours. Some say he buys outdated and rejects from the Raleigh Farmer’s Market- But, if you are happy with that outdated quality of produce, be happy.
These ugly trucks and vans that set up to grab a fast buck are not pretty to the eye and the noise of the propane generators are a nuisance- and a pollutant of air and eardrums. Why should we have to endure this offensive noise and smell, just so they can make money and, their product is not cheap by any means. And remember, they are only interested in setting up in a location that is free to them.
A tell-tale sign of this took place last First Sunday (day of Pittsboro Christmas parade) The owner of Mobile Espresso van was overheard to let the manager of First Sunday know, in no uncertain terms, that she had no intention of paying the $20.00 set-up fee (which all first Sunday vendors pay)- And that no one could force her to pay. Not only that, but she had a bad attitude. She further bullied the situation by setting up advertising sandwich boards on several corners of Salisbury and Hillsboro streets. (There is a Pittsboro Town ordinance against sandwich boards on streets) VISITORS to First Sunday had to listen to that horrible propane generator racket for more than 3 hours. This whole thing was planned well in advance- Because she had bragged about it in a chatlist that somehow was not published before the fact but a week after. (I am willing to bet that Mobile Espresso Van did not have written permission from the town of Pittsboro to set-up on the street) And now Mobile Espresso Van is bragging that they are converting to electric so they can remain longer in each location. JUST WHO is going to continue to provide them with FREE ELECTRICITY?
Fees and booth rental money collected from vendors at Pittsboro First Sunday is in return spent on advertising, musical guests and other entertainment (Such as the Belly Dancing Showcase)-
Pittsboro does not need these gypsy vendors- they have no interest in the town or making it a better place. Just what do they give back in return?
David Ismay
Mr. Ismay,
I want to thank you for following us as closely as you have since you have a lot of information about where we are, how long we are there, what our vehicle looks like, our prices, etc. etc. but…I am not going to keep defending myself on this Chatlist as if I am doing something illegal. I know I will have folks that don’t like what we are doing and I am okay with it. The information you provided is not accurate so let me take the time to address your statements:
I do have my Pittsboro permit. The cost is $100 a year, not $25. I also have my Siler City permit and it is $25 a year. My permits, insurance, health dept approval and NC Dept of Ag approval is in our van. Please feel free to come by and ask to see it anytime you wish.
I am approved by the Chatham County Environmental Health and NC Dept of Agriculture to operate. I have a Sales Tax ID as well and I pay sales tax each month to the state.
I, and anyone that does business there at the lot, pays rent. I have cashed checks to prove it!!! The information you stated was true about Noel subleasing, but Noel has since been given approval by the owner (the management company) to allow others to operate at the site. There is actually a post on the Chatlist and BBS looking for new folks to join us! Noel wants to make this a mini-market offering all types of unique and specialty items to the folks in Pittsboro and Chatham County. If you know anyone who is interested, even if it is just on weekends, you can call him at (919) 616-5068.
We get NOTHING for FREE! I pay for everything, including ELECTRICITY once we get it finalized! The electrician is charging $150 and the permit for it is $50. Progress Energy is charging us a $75 deposit and we will have a monthly bill to pay. I can provide you my account number if you want to verify it. We also pay fees to be at events, fairs, festivals, etc., which can be quite costly since our average ticket sale is much, much lower than other vendors at these events. We also have to pay three times more due to the size of our van.
Ugly truck? That is your opinion and I won’t fault you for it.
We are very interested in participating in 1st Sunday and have made several attempts with the facilitator, Leslie Fesperman. She states there is no room for us at this time and she already has other vendors serving similiar products. I am not upset with 1st Sunday and hope eventually they will allow us to join them and pay the fee and participate officially.
It is your opinion that we have no interest in the town. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t. Our goal is to make the best product for our customers and make it the way they want it. In our opinion, if they were getting it prior to our arrival, we wouldn’t have any customers. I’m sorry if you are offended that we are here, but there are many that LOVE what we are doing and think it is a great idea! At least we know you won’t be one of our happy customers!
What do we give back to Pittsboro? A unique business idea – the 1st of its kind in the Triangle area. In addition, I want to help with fundraising events and unite with other local businesses in hopes to improve both of our awareness in the community. We do donate 10% of our gross sales to the fundraising event.
We also are strong supporters of local business and have used a local graphic designer, sign maker, bookkeeper, CPA, bank, electrician, propane company, gas station, and the grocery stores to purchase our milk products. Most of all…we get our lunch from Big Daddy Dogs! I love the smell in the air when Lynn is warming things up, ahhhhhhhh – and of course, our produce from Noel. He has me addicted to the honey crisp apples.
Cheers,
Tina Meeks
Shot of Spro – Mobile Espresso Van
(919) 663-5796
UPDATE: We now have a website: http://www.shotofspro.com
We offer Call or Text ahead service (919) 799-0181.
We now donate 20% of our gross sales for fundraising events and 100% of our tips are donated each week to a different Chatham County non-profit agency. Check out our website under “Our Non-Profits” on which one’s we have and feel free to suggest another.