Residents and business owners say illegal vending along Brighton Beach has gotten out of control, and the problem is more complicated than just demanding enforcement.
Under the subway tracks of a bustling commercial corridor, a rogue “pop-up flea market” has become a sore spot.
“They are taking the entire block, blocking entrances to businesses”
For years, a group of vendors has rolled out blankets on sidewalks near Brighton Fourth Street, selling clothes and household items directly in front of brick-and-mortar shops.
“It’s a club because they know each other. I know them, they talk to each other. That’s how they spend their weekend,” said Yelena Makhnin, executive director of the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District.
Makhnin said what began as a small quality-of-life issue has escalated into an ongoing struggle.
“Saturday and Sunday, they are taking the entire block, blocking entrances to businesses, using businesses’ door to put their clothes,” she told CBS News New York’s Hannah Kliger.
The problem intensified during the pandemic, when a local weekly flea market around the corner paused. Vendors began setting up on sidewalks, without paying for a table at the official market or obtaining city permits.
“As an organization, we spend money for advertising and in marketing, we want people to come to Brighton,” Makhnin said.
“When they leave, they leave all the garbage”
Business owners say they’re feeling the impact. Dimitry Bederoff, owner of Robert Daniels Salon, said the unregulated vendors have an unfair advantage.
“They don’t pay taxes. They don’t pay rents. They have no bills to pay,” he said.
Bederoff, whose beauty salon has operated in the neighborhood for two decades, said legitimate businesses are left to shoulder the consequences.
“Our clients having trouble to get in. They are scattered all over the sidewalk and when they leave, they leave all the garbage,” he says. “These agencies, you know, they’ll come in and they’ll give us a ticket.”
“I can’t believe … there is no solution”
Many of the sidewalk sellers are elderly, and business leaders stress that no one wants to see seniors arrested. But Makhnin believes more consistent enforcement could help.
“It should be more often, it should be follow ups. I can’t believe, and I will not believe, under any circumstances, there is no solution,” she said.
According to city agencies, enforcement efforts have been ongoing. As recently as Oct. 25, the NYPD and Department of Sanitation confiscated 10 vendor setups and issued one summons. NYPD said officers are cracking down on the sale of counterfeit goods and controlled substances. DSNY reports issuing 51 summonses and making 60 confiscations year-to-date.
In a statement, a police spokesperson said the 60th Precinct is “…working to find an area where residents can sell their items.”
This story came to CBS News New York from a viewer at one of the station’s pop-up newsrooms. Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE.