Higher Vendor Fees Could Kill Maxwell Street Market

Cesar Delgado has been working at his family's booth at the Maxwell Street Market selling tools and hardware since he was 8. He's seen one big change after another come to the legendary market. But the latest one caught him by surprise.

The City Council last week sharply raised the fees paid by Maxwell Street Market vendors to cover the cost of "moonwalks," or "jumping jacks" -- those inflatable playgrounds that the city has long provided for free to neighborhood block parties. Daily fees will double, from $40 to $80, with the yearly license fee rising to $75 from $25.

"That's a drastic change, especially on the daily fees," Delgado said Sunday. "It sounds like something that could finish the market off. Some vendors will find it very hard to make the money back."

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Comments

[MMJones]

This is so wrong. Folks just trying to make a living and their fees are going up. Our business is health care field. Even with our rising costs, there's no way on God's green earth that we're going to raise our fees for patients and families while this economic crisis is killing every normal citizen...

[Tom95134]

cover the cost of "moonwalks," or "jumping jacks" -- those inflatable playgrounds that the city has long provided for free to neighborhood block parties.

What the hell happened to "stick-ball" or just keeping track of your own kids? These freebies from the city aren't free so maybe the block parties should be paying for them instead of putting it on the backs of vendors.

[47th]

Amen. Daley has always hated Maxwell street, he has been trying to kill it off for years. Maxwell street may have been forced out of it's original home, but it is still a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. It is the "real" Chicago that is slipping away a little more every day.