Downtown D.C. Street Vendors To Get 'First Dibs' For Inauguration Space

Street vendors already licensed to sell their goods in downtown D.C. will get first preference for the spots during the inauguration Jan. 20, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs announced today.

D.C. vendors had been concerned that they might get bumped for national vendors, as the Washington Post reported two weeks ago.

The District will hold three lotteries for 716 vending sites downtown and around the National Mall. The first lottery will be exclusively for the 300 vendors already licensed in that area. "They get first dibs on where they want to go within the zone," said Michael Rupert, a spokesman for the regulatory agency.

A second lottery for spots will be held for all other vendors licensed in the District, he said.

There are about 900 total licensed vendors in the District, but just 300 to 400 regularly work at sites throughout the city, Rupert said. If there are spots left after the two lotteries, a third lottery will be held for vendors that have acquired temporary inaugural licenses.

Rupert noted that more spaces--up to 1,000, according to the agency's Web site--will open in "overflow areas," such as at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium where thousands of charter buses will park.

The regulatory agency will have more information about those sites when traffic and other plans are solidified.

By Nikita R Stewart  |  December 17, 2008; 1:50 PM ET  | Category:  Souvenirs , Vending
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