Town to formalize vending at 4-way stop

“I think we’ll be discussing this again in the fall….”

Carts and vendors at the Four-way Stop in Crested Butte may look a bit more organized this summer. The Crested Butte Town Council on recently approved an ordinance that attempts to put a bit more structure into the area.

Currently the town does not limit the number of vendors allowed on the public property by the tennis courts and Visitor’s Center. But there is limited space, so town clerk Shelley Jansen reached out to the vendors who regularly convene to sell their wares in the area.
There is room at the Four-way for approximately seven vendors with 10×10 spaces. There is apparently a sort of hierarchy already in place among the vendors but the town is attempting to formalize the process. The seven locations will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis. Potential vendors will have to fill out applications.
“I’m concerned that this could be a real pain to administer,” said Councilperson Jim Schmidt. “I want to make sure people who have been there awhile, like Doug Mattis, are allowed to continue to sell over there. It just seems pretty work-intensive.”
Shawn Mast is a regular in the area with his Sock It To Me Food cart. “The people who have been out there talk a lot between us,” he said. “We have good verbal communication already under way. I think this will all work out as long as we all keep communicating.”
The new ordinance also will allow those with food carts to sell non-food items that have a logo of their business on it.
“We think that is a good way to market ourselves and keep awareness with customers,” Mast said.
“I am willing to give it a shot,” said Schmidt, “but I have a feeling we will be discussing this again next fall.”