NoDa vendors, businesses clash over congestion
NoDa vendors, businesses clash over congestion
Plus: Aldersgate responds about its finances; Rea Farms construction; Fort Mill moms surprised at charge for 'Drafts Sports Bar'; Former judge sues former colleague for defamation
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Sidewalk sellers are keeping the arts in the arts district — but pedestrian traffic and worries about crime are prompting requests for regulations
Abstrak Maniak sells T-shirts and artwork on a sidewalk in NoDa. Vendors regularly set up booths along North Davidson Street, which is allowed by the city as long as vendors don’t obstruct the path.
by Lindsey Banks
For the past month, artist Jason Swepson — also known as Abstrak Maniak — has spent his days stationed beneath a red tent, hand-painting T-shirts and canvases for sale along North Davidson Street.
“This is my livelihood. This is how I make my money,” Swepson told The Ledger on a recent afternoon. “We’re part of the culture in NoDa. NoDa wouldn’t be NoDa if we weren’t able to come out here and do our thing.”
Swepson, who recently moved his art business to NoDa from New Jersey, is just one of the artists who set up shop along a North Davidson Street sidewalk. Vendors are seen as keeping the arts in the arts district as more of NoDa’s galleries close.
But some brick-and-mortar business owners want rules for the currently unregulated practice, which can clog sidewalks with pedestrians and block business doors. Street vendors like Swepson see regulations and permit requirements as threats to their businesses.
On busy weekends, businesses like Fu’s Custom Tattoo, Cabo Fish Taco and Protagonist Beer, which is closing on North Davidson in October, see the most street vendor traffic outside of their doors.