Feb. 14 marks the start of Vendor Week at Real Change. Vendor Week is a time when we ask local icons to team up with vendors to sell the paper. These individuals will spend the week fund-
raising online, with many of them joining Real Change and their partner vendor at the in-person event at Westlake Park on Thursday, Feb. 15,
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
We don’t ask these local icons to participate because vendors need help with their sales numbers. We ask because Real Change is unapologetically Seattle. Real Change has been delivering Seattle news weekly since 1994, and this is how we say thank you to all the vendors who put that paper out into our communities.
When Real Change employees doing any task, we always ask ourselves: How is this in service to vendors? How can I make this more beneficial? From keeping our bathrooms fully stocked with hygiene products to creating something worth selling — it all comes back to vendors. Vendors are the motivation behind every fundraiser. Vendors are the reason why we post on social media. Vendors are the reason we make the paper. Vendors are why volunteers keep coming back to help out at our office and events.
While vendors are at the core of this organization and always on our minds, it doesn’t necessarily feel that way for vendors when they leave the building and begin their work day.
Vendor appreciation is about recognizing the impact that vendors have on you.
I want to share a story about the first vendor I ever got to know. To preface, I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and the first street paper I bought was a copy of The Contributor from Shawn, a vendor who has been (and still is!) selling the paper since I was a child. His selling post is at one of Nashville’s most notorious roundabouts, and he walks up to folks’ car, paper in hand. Every time we purchased the paper, he’d address my mother as a queen and me as a princess. He always showed kindness and appreciation for us rolling down the window and giving him our attention and money. With traffic moving, there was never much more time than the exchange itself. But in days of halted traffic, we got to be with Shawn more, which contributed greatly to my passion for this business model.
One of the things I love about Real Change is that it’s in Seattle — a city with a more robust public transit system and a higher density of foot traffic. In Seattle, vendors don’t have to resort to selling on the side of the road. Instead, they have myriad options, selling in front of grocery stores, coffee shops or your pharmacy.
With Real Change vendors, you have the ability to make the active choice to stop for more than just a second and show your appreciation for vendors. Seattle has already laid the groundwork for vendors to be recognized as a part of your local community, so let’s talk about what it means to appreciate the work they do and how Vendor Week presents the perfect opportunity to do just this.
This week is about recognizing that, while becoming a Real Change vendor is the easiest thing in the world, being a Real Change vendor is one of the hardest jobs in this city.
Vendors spend the majority of their time selling papers being ignored. Just like when dealing with with panhandlers and people experiencing homelessness, people put on their headphones, dodge eye contact and keep walking like it’s their full-time job.
That’s why vendor appreciation is so important. And look at you! You’ve already done something to show your appreciation. If you’re reading this op-ed in this week’s paper, you’ve likely handed a vendor $2 or sent them money via Venmo (psst ... always put a vendor’s name and badge number in the description). Too many people in this city just keep walking, so I cannot express my gratitude to know you are a part of those working to change this attitude.
Because the message is simple: Vendor appreciation can look like whatever you want it to. But it’s the choice to step outside of yourself, think beyond your own problems and engage with someone who is making a livelihood in a different way than you might be.
Every vendor is their own self-started small business, and I believe more people should treat selling the paper as one. Vendors come in every day and invest in themselves, and as vendor program director, it’s my firm belief you should invest in them right back.
As part of our Real Change community, I encourage you to do more than usual for vendors this week in the name of vendor appreciation. While we strive to create as safe of a space as we can, that doesn’t necessarily mean it extends into the greater whole of Seattle. So, let your local vendor know how much you appreciate them. Take the time to show your support, and invest in the Real Change workforce. Selling the paper is a real job that requires an immense amount of courage, confidence and resilience.
The vendors giving their time to this Vendor Week are Rose (#12807), Canada (#14282), Yemane (#11505), Shawn (#13211), Mark (#10579), Daniell (#14799), Dhannie (#14667), Cliff (#9685), Darrell (#13604), Denise (#12155), Crystal (#13921) and James (#10880).
And just another gentle reminder: When Venmo-ing Real Change, please put your vendor’s name and/or badge number in the payment description so that the funds are allocated properly! Thank you for your support and dedication to our community. Happy Vendor Week!
Caroline St. Clair is Real Change’s vendor program director.
Join Real Change at Westlake Park on Feb. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the Vendor Week kick-off celebration.
Read more of the Feb. 14–20, 2024 issue.