TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Traverse City is a foodie town.  You can find locally-sourced meals and treats everywhere.  So some people were surprised when the city commission doubled the cost for street vendors to do business in town.

Roaming Harvest

Now, the issue is back before the commission.

Roaming Harvest started rolling just as the commission decided to double fees for street vendors to do business.  The converted delivery truck operates at different locations around Traverse City, four days a week and at local events.

On Wednesdays, you can find Roaming Harvest across the street from the Munson Emergency Room on Elmwood and Seventh.

Simon Joseph and his wife, Rebecca, decided to try something new – and contribute to Traverse City’s reputation as a “foodie” town.  After two years of planning, they rolled onto the city streets.

The Cost To Do Business In Traverse City
“We’ve been open for a month and a half, and we paid the city of Traverse City 750 dollars to operate.”  Joseph continues, “This is on top of a lease we have on Cass Street—that is not in the city limit.”

If the Commission decision stands, Roaming Harvest’s fees will double, to 100 dollars a day, beginning September 15.  Joseph says they took the daily fee structure into account when they made their business plan.

“At 50 dollars a day, it was a stepping stone to have this conversation.  At 100 a day, I mean that’s almost forbidding me from coming downtown,” Joseph explains.  “I mean realistically.  We’re a food truck that can carry only so much food.  In order for us to do enough business to pay that, it seems a bit of a stretch.”

Find the entire article by Candice Ludlow at ipr.interlochen.org <here>