Vending on or near beaches on STJ

Blu, you great looking lady. Thanks for the cheeky kiss. I'm still on effin' east coast / VI time zone after arriving back last night in Los Angeles.

I would guess that the Trunk Bay and Cinammon Bay operations are run by concessionaires. I know that those companies you see in most national parks have licensed agreements with the NPS.

So that being said, I'm sure there is a process with the NPS that would get you to a nay or aye.

The NPS has concessions with everything that goes on in the park. Each one is only granted for a year and expire on the 31st of December of every year!

RL

Thanks Promo and Ron. Good seeing you two on the 4th. Sorry we missed steaks on your grill and fireworks at your spot, Promo. We were dead tired (lots of beers and rum punches in the sun will do that!!) , so we ate early at Rhumblines and hopped a ferry back across before the mass exodus later that night.

Dear Bluwater
I know from your long time posting that you are a true supporter of St John and all the Virgin Islands. That is why I am confused when you ask about "vending" on St John's beaches. The great appeal of any beach to me is the quiet and noncommercial ambiance. I avoid any beach that has food or souvenir vendors or even a modern restroom. When you add a bunch of merchants selling things to tourists it is the beginning of the end.

I don't want to see what you will find in places like Jamaica. The vendors there are aggressive and disturbing. I am opposed to any attempt to further commercialize any of the beaches in the Virgin Islands. I don't know if that was your goal, but i would hope it is not.

Ms Information, it is interesting that you brought this up because i recently had a conversation about this with another forumite and the discussion focused on the fact that everyone has a different level of appreciation of a deserted beach - and some people are not as moved by them as are others. While there are a number of people who would rather not visit a beach at all than visit one with more than 5 other people on it, or a modern rest room, there are a number of people who aren't of that mindset.

Of course, i am not interested in commercializing the beaches on STJ. However, with incredible growth taking place on STJ and the immense change that is underway, there will be a market for more business opportunities. I believe there's a way to strike a balance between protection of the ambiance and opportunities for successful entrepreneurship.

Rest assured that my discussions were not about loading the beaches with T shirt vendors or anything even remotely close.

If the majority of people wanted beaches without any sort of facilities, those would be the most crowded beaches...no? Since they're not the most crowded beaches, one must assume that most people are interested in facilities.

And the NPS will only allow their approved concessions! If they don't think it will fit, they won't allow it.

RL

Blu: One problem with the growth on St John is precisely trying to keep the beaches as undeveloped as possible. If someone wants amenities, there are many other beaches to visit! 😉

The great thing about transient vendors is that they leave no infrastructure. Rosies Road Kill (real name - so help me god) vends on the weekend on Cane Bay on STX. When they are gone -- they are GONE. Something to be said for that.

I'd love to have one of those hot dog steam carts with permission to sell Nathan's at Hawksnest. Man would I be able to clean up.

As Ronnie points out, most St John beaches are regulated. That is a good thing. However the NPS does not control what happens on other beaches on St John and other Virgin Islands. Some of the bad development decisions that we have seen on St John and other islands, tell us that greed and government corruption often triumph. Blu, I am sure you would be a careful guardian if given a commercial option. However that would open the floodgates for others who do not care about the future health of a beach or area. Based on that, I oppose any new commercial development or enterprise on any beach in the Virgin Islands. That includes the proposed casinos on St Croix as well as new developments on St Thomas or St John.

I am sure that some of you might think this is a rather restrictive point of view. I see it as preserving one of the last beautiful places on this planet. We have found that we cannot trust developers and most governments to do the right thing.

I'm sure, despite my opposition that change will continue. Some of it good, but much of it driven by greed.

Maybe a new casino on STX might be a good thing providing needed jobs a flood of tourism bringing in money so that maybe folks will just be a bit better off.

I don't see the problem with the roach coach showing up and feeding every buddy. Permit for what. Business license seems more like it.

The rolling carts only need business licenses, as long as they are vending on public property and not blocking passage on roads or sidewalks. I assume they also need some type of health permit.

Really this is the way to go. No development, no infrastructure and only a modest investment on the part of the vendor. And they can go where the people are.

There ya go - that's what I was talking about - a transient vendor - not actual development, building...not T Shirts.....not even as much as a shack.

Come...feed...leave.

I guess the word vendor can be taken to mean different things to different people.

What I am trying to understand is if I am inside the National Park boundaries (as in, on the road or in a parking lot), do I need a NPS vendor's permit to sell something? I am hearing that I would. If I walk out onto the beach with a cold bag of frozen treats and I get flagged down by someone sitting in their beach chair who wants to buy one, do I need a NPS vendor's permit for that? I am not talking about being on the beach all day. I am talking about walking down once and then leaving. maybe returning later in the day after visiting other beaches. Not saying anything - not announcing myself - not approaching anyone or soliciting.

I am certain that you need NPS permission to sell anything within park boundaries. And that is not just the USVI, but nationwide.

You can ask them directly.

http://www.nps.gov/viis/contacts.htm

Sorry but the NPS does not allow (we belive) anyone to vend/sell/carry items for sale on any of the NP beaches (or within it's bounderies) - no vending of ice crem etc allowed - and we LOVE it that way - most people here feel that if that is what you are looking for then Mexico or Jamaica is a perfect location for a vacation - it will be the start of the end to see people walking down any STJ beach selling ice cream/beads/--------- (insert anything) Hopefully this does not offend but that kind of why we all come to STJ in the first place and is the opinion of all of the "locals" that I know that talk of such things - we want it to stay OFF our (and I use our as in it is everyone's beach not mine) beaches.

Pia

PiaA,

Point taken without offense.... 🙂

~Blu

I always felt that well appointed street vendors were charming. Only tacky in mass groupings. The Bahamas sets aside areas by local walking malls for street vendors, tacky. Many places in Mexico, also tacky. But in Costa Rica, they were our salvation at times, filling an empty belly or selecting from local handcrafted artwork, charming. I think that if the vendors are limited to any certain area providing a needed service is a great idea. You have my vote.

Molly

I see nothing wrong with a vendor in the parking lot selling hot dogs, water, beer,etc. And the NPS DOES allow sales on park property. They lease concessions. The facilities at Cinnamon Bay are an example. What they do not allow is unauthorized sales of merchandise or food. That wll get you in trouble.

So, one vote for the drive-away vendors.