It takes about five minutes to walk the four blocks from Mission Local’s office at 21st and Mission streets to 24th and Capp where the city set up a tented space for legal vendors after imposing a vending ban in late November.
A look of La Placita around noon with no customers on sight on Thursday April 4th, 2024. Photo by Oscar Palma. Rodrigo Lopez, a merchant at El Tiangue and the president of the Mission Street Vendors Association, an organization representing 116 permitted vendors, said that despite efforts by the city to advertise and organize events at El Tiangue, business is almost nonexistent. He too hopes that having all the merchants together at one location will bring more foot traffic.
“What has made this collaboration so great is that the staff understand the community,” she said. “There’s not much convincing because they have people from the community.” People continue to sell on Mission Street despite a vending ban that went into effect late last year on Thursday April 4th, 2024. Photo by Oscar Palma.