Archive
187th DTES Street Market at Pigeon Park in Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES) on Sun Jan 5, 2014
187th DTES Street Market and FIRST Street Market of 2014
Roland Clarke, Coordinator of the DTES Street Market says:
There is no other festival in the Downtown Eastside that can boast almost 200 event-days. This little street market is not only the heart of the Downtown Eastside, but possibly the largest historical event of the Downtown Eastside for all time.
Our 200th market day at Pigeon Park on Sunday will take place on April 6th – This will be a day of celebration for the Downtown Eastside. We plan to invite City Councillors, dignitaries, and anyone that wants to join in this incredible celebration of micro-entrepreneurial spirit with the people of the DTES.
The day was sunny and brisk. Despite the cold, it was a packed market, almost at capacity with 190 vendors at noon.
Again, lots of stores were open around the edge of the park, showing the great relationship we have with the neighbouring businesses.
Our new plastic tables were all used. By adding 10 new plastic 5 foot tables, and storing our old wooden ones, we added 5 tables to the rotation. We now have 13 x 5 foot plastic tables total, 4 x 6 foot plastic tables, and 24 x 4 foot plastic tables – for 41 tables now in circulation. I’ll check the total tent and table rental to see if our revenue increased at all.
Everything went reasonably smoothly, except for one notable area.
We had been having trouble with a particular vendor, Fred, for quite some time and sent him a letter asking him not to vend or be a customer at the market in the future. Near the end of the market day, despite being given this letter, he threatened several vendors and volunteers and the police were called. I’ve included a copy of the letter that Fred was given.
It is our hope that this dangerous individual will be red-zoned from Pigeon Park. With cooperation from the police, this would be possible.
DTES Street Market Vendors Meeting on Sat Jan 4, 2014 in Vancouver, Downtown Eastside (DTES)
First Street Market Vendors meeting of 2014
Welcome
Introduction
Power Point
Action Proposal
Brainstorm
DTES Street Market’s new vendor tables in Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES)
New vendor tables benefits the DTES vendors of the DTES Street Market in Vancouver
186th DTES Street Market at Pigeon Park in Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES) on Sun Dec 29, 2013
Roland Clarke, Coordinator of the DTES Street Market says:
This was last market of the year. A momentous event considering that we have survived many attacks from many directions. This is was the fourth year of the Street Market at Pigeon Park and will not be the last. As we enter our fifth year, it is important to reflect on what we have achieved..
This was the 186th Market day at Pigeon Park on Sunday.
There is no other festival in the Downtown Eastside that can boast almost 200 event-days. This little street market is not only the heart of the Downtown Eastside, but possibly the largest historical event of in the Downtown Eastside for all time.
Lots of shops open
As I walked around the park in the morning, watching the vendors arrive and seeing the preparations of the RPICs, I couldn’t help noticing all the businesses that are now open around Pigeon Park. Nelson and Seagull was absolutely packed, standing room only. The Frock Thrift Shoppe was open and doing brisk business, and Rainier Provisions was open as well. If any of these businesses have issues with the Street Market on Sundays, their customers sure don’t.
I’ll take this time to remind people that when the Street Market started in 2010 NOT A SINGLE business surrounding Pigeon Park was open on Sundays. Now, almost all the businesses are open.
Green Energy
Last week, we purchased an awesome photovoltaic solar system for our office at 62 East Hastings. 2 175 Watt solar panels, fed into a MPPT charge controller, with a 150 Amp-hour battery going to a 3000 Watt inverter. Yay! Necessity is definitely the mother of invention. After waiting over a year for our power to be hooked up at the lot at 62 East Hastings, we are taking matters into our own hands and installing a completely zero waste solar energy solution for the Downtown Eastside. Hopefully, it will be up and running soon. We just need to get some wiring, and construct an intelligent mounting system that allows panels to change angle in the summer and winter.
Live Lobsters
Sometimes a particular item at the Street Market must make the news.
Today, we had someone selling two live lobsters. At the time, I was having a conversation with a reporter, and Jacek runs up to the tents and says “I just saw something that takes the cake – some guy is selling live lobsters”. An interesting problem for the volunteers because, if the lobsters were dead, this would be clearly banned from the market because they would need to be refrigerated. The fact that they were live posed an interesting problem. One of the volunteers said jokingly “what if they are pets?”. Jacek says “the guys selling them kind of looks like he might be a fisherman”. The RPIC at the time makes a quick decision that we would have to tell him to leave and sell his lobster elsewhere.
Luckily, before we could go and confront the man, the lobsters were already sold.
DTES Street Market at Pigeon Park in Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES) on Sun Dec 22, 2013
DTES Street Market Sunday before Christmas 2013
Roland Clarke, Coordinator of the DTES Street Market says:
The 185th Street Market at Pigeon Park on Sunday
Our 200th market day at Pigeon Park on Sunday will take place on April 6th – This will be a day of celebration for the Downtown Eastside. We plan to invite City Councillors, dignitaries, and anyone that wants to celebrate with the people of the DTES.
The day was only slightly drizzly, and quite mild considering that it was the first day of winter…
This was the last Sunday market at Pigeon Park before Christmas, and the penultimate market of the year.
Lots of creatures were stirring, all over the park, making their last few sales on this drizzly Sunday.
Not one negative event that I can recall over the course of the day, and lots of positive ones…
Mark Bradshaw of the VPD did a walk through of the market. We made sure that he knew that we appreciated his presence, and that we welcomed him back. He made a few jokes, and nabbed someone selling some contraband. Luckily for us, the person was outside the market at the time…
We had at least one group giving away blankets, clothing, toiletries, lots of food. It definitely was a friendly Christmas atmosphere all over the market.
The clean up went great. The park was clear by 5:30pm, and the garbage truck came early, shortly after.
The final shift went home before 6pm, which I believe is a record.
Sales of coffee and tents was quite good given that there were only 95 vendors in the park this Sunday.
As a final note before Christmas, I want to give a warm thanks to all the volunteers that work the Street Market week in and week out. They do real work for a small stipend, usually about $3 per hour. They pile about 1/2 tonne of garbage in one spot from all over the park, and maintain peace and order during the day. They watch out for their fellow vendors, and really take pride in this unique downtown eastside creation we call the Pigeon Park Street Market.
God bless all the volunteers and vendors, and God protect them from the greedy and the ignorant.
In this time of giving. In this time of the year where we should all count our blessings, I am sincerely begging those with power, wealth, secure warm homes, and loving families to take a moment to reflect on what we have built in our neighbourhood with so little.
Follow Us!
AHA Media 