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Downtown mobile vendors a detriment to our town

Cruising along Route 66 in downtown Williams prior to the Fourth of July Parade, it was heartwarming to see our streets lined with folks waiting patiently for the parade to begin. The town was bursting with activity, mainly from folks with faces we did not recognize ‹ tourists.

We are fortunate for the fact that there is a special event for nearly every weekend in the summer. There's always something to do in Williams thanks to the efforts of the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce staff.

Our special summer events attract vendors from throughout Arizona and surrounding states. We welcome vendors who come to Williams offering their unique wares in assigned vendor areas. For a small fee, vendors can register with the Chamber of Commerce and set up shop for a weekend event. The area around the Visitors' Center is usually where you will find such vendors. During special and larger events such as Rendezvous Days, vendors can be found along closed side streets.

Families can be seen shopping vendor areas. These visitors can be seen purchasing anything from specialty popcorn, wine, handmade crafts and out-of-this-world food offered in Williams sometimes only once each year. A man selling specialty hotdogs can be seen in downtown Williams at Bell Gas on a regular basis on warm days. Visit any city and you will find a seasonal hotdog vendor adding charm to the downtown area.

However, a disturbing trend began several years ago in our downtown area. Seasonal vendors began appearing just before Rendezvous Days and lingering a few weeks following Labor Day weekend. These vendors come to our area with trailers loaded with merchandise and the ability to open shop by merely opening up a trailer door.

Yes, these outside vendors may have a city of Williams business license in hand. Yes, these vendors may have set up shop with the permission of a property owner. Yes, these vendors may have something you want to buy.

At the same time, these mobile vendors are a detriment to downtown Williams. How? Typically, the mobile vendors add no visual aesthetics to downtown. Their very presence is unfair to our established downtown businesses. We owe something to our business owners who remain open year-round, pay rent or a mortgage on a building and those who live here. These business owners are our friends, our neighbors, our children's coaches and Sunday school teachers who support our community on a constant basis through both their monetary donations and hours spent volunteering their talents to assure Williams is the best community it can be. Their support is unwavering.

To support a mobile vendor who is here only for the warm weather is a slap in the face to our established business owners. When was the last time you purchased something that you "must have" for yourself or your home from the trunk of a traveling salesman? When was the last time a local business created a product like no other especially for you?

We encourage our readers to continue shopping at local, established businesses. Money spent in Williams in established Williams' businesses remains in Williams. Money spent in Williams at mobile vendors drives away with the first hint of gray skies. Ultimately, it is your choice where your money lands, whether it is in southern Arizona or your own hometown.


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