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A Century on the Curb: New York’s Street Vendors from the 20th Century

In the early 20th century, the streets of New York’s immigrant neighborhoods were bustling, open-air department stores. On the Lower East Side, streets like Hester and Orchard were choked with wooden pushcarts, their wheels jostling for space on the cobblestones. These carts were the lifeblood of the tenement districts, primarily run by recent Jewish and Italian immigrants who sold what their communities needed to survive.

A vendor’s cart was his entire business. One might be piled high with fresh vegetables and fruits, another loaded with glistening fish on a bed of ice. Pickle vendors plunged their hands into brine-filled barrels to retrieve their goods, while others sold seltzer water by the glass, bread, or cheap housewares. The air was thick with a dozen languages, the shouts of vendors advertising their prices, and the smells of everything from salted fish to fresh-baked goods. These pushcart markets operated from dawn until dusk, providing an essential service for families who lived in crowded apartments with no refrigeration.

The Rise of the Food Cart: 1930s-1960s

By the mid-20th century, the city’s street vending scene had changed. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia led a successful campaign in the late 1930s to move the crowded pushcart markets off the streets and into enclosed spaces like the Essex Street Market. While this cleared many streets, it did not end the practice of street selling. Instead, a new, more specialized type of vendor emerged.

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This was the golden age of the New York food cart. The iconic hot dog stand, with its blue and yellow Sabrett umbrella, became a fixture in Midtown, Central Park, and outside museums. These vendors sold a simple, reliable menu: a hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut, and a cold soda. Alongside them, other vendors specialized in their own specific wares. Men with charcoal-fired carts sold roasted chestnuts in the winter, their sweet, smoky aroma drifting through the cold air. Others sold soft, salt-dusted pretzels from wooden pegs on their carts or scooped Italian ices into paper cups during the hot summer months.

Diversification and Hustle: 1970s-1980s

The later decades of the century saw another evolution in street vending, reflecting new waves of immigration and a changing city economy. The simple hot dog stand was joined by a wider variety of food carts. Greek immigrants introduced New Yorkers to gyros and souvlaki, cooking marinated meat on vertical spits attached to their carts. The smell of grilled lamb and tzatziki sauce became a new part of the city’s street-level atmosphere.

Beyond food, the 1970s and 80s saw a boom in merchandise vendors. In neighborhoods like SoHo and Greenwich Village, artists set up tables to sell their paintings and prints directly to the public. On Canal Street, a sprawling, unregulated market appeared where vendors laid out their goods on blankets and folding tables. Here you could buy sunglasses, scarves, electronics, and counterfeit designer handbags and watches. This era of street vending was defined by its diversity and its hustle, as vendors sold a wider array of goods than ever before to office workers, tourists, and locals across the five boroughs.

#2 Clam Seller, Mulberry Bend, Little Italy, New York City, 1900.

#5 Chestnut vendor, West 42nd Street, New York City, 1902.

#7 Sidewalk apple vendor during the Great Depression, 1930s.

#8 Young man customer and sidewalk street vender with handcart selling sodas for 3 cents & 5 cents for Pepsi Cola, 1930s.

#9 Pretzel vendor cart made from a baby carriage next to a fire alarm box, New York City, 1930s.

#11 Hot Dog Stand, West Street and North Moore Street, New York City, 1936.

#12 Roasted chestnut vendor on Fifth Avenue at Madison Square, New York City, 1930s.

#13 Street Vendor with Peanut Wagon, Lenox Avenue and 133rd Street, New York City, July 1938.

#14 Woman shopping for vegetables at street vendor push cart, 59th Street Third Avenue under El station, New York City, 1930s-1940s.

#15 Pushcart vendor Benny Brodsky at his stand on the streets of New York City, 1940.

#17 A pretzel vendor on New York’s East Side, 1947.

#19 Hot dog vendor with pushcart and umbrella selling Cokes for 15 cents, West Street Downtown Manhattan, New York, 1950s.

#20 Man riding a food cart tricycle, New York City, December 1953.

#21 Man pushing hot dog cart across street, New York City, September 1957.

#23 A working man buys a hot dog from a New York City street vendor, circa 1960.

#24 A New York City organ grinder on the street, circa 1960.

#25 A New York City hot dog vendor at the intersection of East 27th Street and 3rd Avenue, circa 1960.

#27 Man pushing food vending cart through intersection in Midtown Manhattan, New York, early 1980.

#28 Corner of East 34th street and Park Avenue south, Panam building in the distance, Manhattan, New York, 1980s.

Written by Adriana Palmer

Blogger, Editor and Environmentalist. A writer by day and an enthusiastic reader by night. Following the Jim Roh's prophecy “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”

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