Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Secret Lives of Street Vendors

A recent commenter led me to an out of date blog about street vendors that had me rapt for quite some time. New York street vendors are an integral part of the fabric of our streets, and I never realized how much I take them for granted until I read this blog. Of particular interest is the history of the Senegalese vendors, and how they came to corner the umbrella market.

My Junior High School social studies teacher taught us the lesson of supply and demand by recounting his personal story of selling umbrellas while it was raining so he could charge double. In fact it was the only lesson this particular teacher ever made that was original, and did not use an overhead projector. But I digress. As usual.

1 comment:

Laura Goggin Photography said...

As a part-time street artist, I must say these people lead very hard lives. Those who do it full time to pay the rent and bills must work constantly, and in all kinds of weather (and no bathroom, water, etc unless they have friends). It was only after I tried it myself that I appreciated these people and what they do.