San Telmo Flooded With Street Vendors . Business Protest..!!

[Jed]

My wife has a couple of friends who sell in Plaza Dorrego on Thursday through Sunday, hand stitched leather purses and wine holders. The wine holders are made with a team of 4 (they are cutting the leather, molding the silver and alpaca, etc). Their temporary stand neighbors are selling framed photography, hippie jewelry and leather belts.

On the other hand, every time we visit (once a week roughly) I definitely see several vendors reselling stuff that was certainly made by a factory. There is always a group of riff raff hanging about the plaza "bar flying" (in the most literal sense: as soon as people get up to leave their tables in the plaza they swarm to collect any leftover food and drink with a focus on any alcohol). This is exaggerated on Sunday where the vibe in San Telmo changes from a classic, old school barrio to full on tourist draw.

The artisans are a big draw- I won't lie, I still like checking out their latest creations and see a lot of people (Argies and tourists alike) browsing, buying and strolling about.

There are fees to be paid though. If you want prime turf you have to pay the piper or show up at 07:00 to claim your space. There is no way any old Joe can show up and set up shop near Plaza Dorrego on Sunday. There is a bit of a hierarchy, seniority and some unofficial rules to play by. The further away you get from Plaza Dorrego the less they apply though.

It is indeed controversial and I can see both sides. I would be pissed if I was paying taxes, renting space and trying to do things properly with a formal shop as opposed to the guy nearby setting up his temporary table and selling things in the black right in front of my door. But the shop owners must admit that those artisans, street performers and antique stands as a whole are a massive draw and there must be spill over business. The artisans and feria create the San Telmo market, one of BA's biggest and most well known things to do.

One has to wonder how popular and visited San Telmo would be without it.

 

[Montauk_Project]

Are they documented? Do they pay taxes, provide factura A o B tickets for sells, pay for the space on the street? Business will go down for those that are registered with AFIP and pay rent. They not only block the streets, but they leave trash, and pollute the neighborhood and it's not fair for the residents in the area. They need to have a designated area to sell their goods. You can't even walk down Florida street anymore, or Avenida Rivadavia and Acoyte. You have to walk in the street with the cars and it's totally out of control.

They should pay taxes, and this should be controlled by the AFIP. This has nothing to do with blocking streets, this is a tax issue. Do many businesses pay taxes? I always ask for an official receipt due to the industry standards I must uphold (in film you give facturas for EVERYTHING, even bus tickets) and most don´t want to give me one. A lot of restaurants say verbally what the bill is, so basically there whole cash flow is in black. And they pay rent, so there is no connection.

 

[JamJam]

In the video they actually mention that Mr. Medrano is the a**hole that called the cops. Seems like his plans to improve the hood are not popular with residents.
200 years ago the residents of San Telmo kicked out the British by pouring hot oil (however, I think it was most likely boiling water, as oil is expensive) on their heads. Don´t mess with la Republica.

I bet the regret doing that now. Argentina could have been like Australia or Canada or the Falklands