Hessler Street Fair Vendors'
Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents:

1. General Questions
   1. What's this Street Fair all about?
   2. When is this year's Street Fair?
   3. How big of a crowd do you get?
   4. How do I contact you guys?
      
      
2. Vendor Questions
   1. Who can become a vendor?
   2. How do I apply?
   3. How do you decide who will be a vendor?
   4. What do I have to bring to the Fair?
   5. Will my things be safe when I'm not there?
      
      
3. Questions Specific To Food Vendors
   1. Do I need a permit?
   2. How do I get a permit? < < < < < NEW THIS YEAR ! !
   3. Do I really need a permit?
   4. Is it all right if I sell drinks at the Fair?
   5. I notice you didn't say anything about beer...

General Questions

What's this Street Fair all about?

The Hessler Street Fair is set up to benefit the non-profit Hessler Neighborhood Association (HNA). The HNA uses funds from the Street Fairs to preserve and restore one of the last remaining residential areas in the University Circle section of Cleveland. The Hessler Street Fair Committee is a collection of volunteers crazy enough to try and pull off a fair this size each year while still holding down full-time jobs.

When is this year's Street Fair?

The 2009 Hessler Street Fair will be held Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17. The fair is held, rain or shine. Hours are from noon until dark (approximately 8:00 PM) each day.

How big of a crowd do you get?

Since we don't charge people admission to the fair, we don't know exactly how many people come each year. From vendor sales though, we estimate that between 10,000 and 15,000 people visit the fair each year. Judging from the crowds we see on the street, that's probably a good guess.

How do I contact you guys?

You can contact the Hessler Street Fair Committee at:

Vendor Questions

Who can become a vendor?

The Hessler Street Fair is know both for being a LARGE (but well-behaved) weekend-long party and for having a number of quality artists and craftsmen on hand with their own works for sale. We also have mixed into this melange a number of professional and non-professional food vendors, some book sellers, and a dozen or so non-profit organizations. If you fall within one of these categories and would enjoy participating, then you should probably consider filling out an application.

How do I apply?

We are accepting vendor applications now. Please contact us and we will mail an application to you. Or, you can download the appropriate form here. Don't forget to download the waiver for your category too. Application deadline is March 1, 2010.

For Arts and Crafts (any non-food) Vendor information contact: email Mitch or
Mitch C/O Hessler Street Fair, 11326 Hessler Rd, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
After you are approved, Mitch will send you a link to download the Arts and Crafts Vendor application.

How do you decide who will be a vendor?

Deciding who will become a vendor is unfortunately a fairly subjective process.
These are some of the guidelines we follow:

• We prefer hand-made and original items. We prefer to have people that personally made everything they're selling as opposed to selling other people's work on consignment.
• As a community organization, we try to support local businesses and local artists. If you're from outside the Cleveland area, though, don't let this stop you from applying. We'll happily take in people from far away if we think they'll add something to the Fair.
• We try not to have an over-abundance of any one type of item (jewelry, pottery, macrobiotic bananas, etc.). When this happens, we give preference to people who sent in their application (and their check) early on.
• We promote ourselves as a "kid-safe" event, so we prefer vendors that (reasonable) parents won't object to. That's not to say we haven't severely stretched the envelope before though...
• Finally, we only have so much room on the street. Some booths are just physically too large for us to handle. Also, the number of booths we can take is finite, so we will eventually run out no matter how good an application we get.

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What do I have to bring to the Fair?

We will allocate a space approximately 10 feet by 10 feet for each vendor (slightly less for our non-profit vendors). All exhibitors are responsible for bringing their own display. As in previous years, if you wish you can rent a table and/or chairs through us if you don't want to bring your own.

Will my things be safe when I'm not there?

No. Well, don't count on it anyway. While we hire security people for during the fair, we do not have overnight security and we cannot be responsible for anything you leave overnight. Please plan accordingly.

Questions Specific To Food Vendors

Do I need a permit?

All food vendors need a permit from the City of Cleveland. Each vendor is responsible for seeing that their own permits are in order. Also a reminder - any food vendor with an open flame must also get a flame permit from the City Fire Prevention Bureau.

How do I get a permit? < < < < <

Ordinarily, food vendors would be responsible for getting their permits
directly from the city. However, this year, the city is insisting that
we (the street fair committee) handle that. So, the procedure will be as
follows:

Send us your completed application and waiver, along with a check for
the necessary booth, table and chair and parking permit fees. We will
then send you the permit forms, which you will need to fill out and
return to us as soon as possible, along with the necessary permit fees.
We will deliver these to the appropriate city departments to ensure that
everyone is properly licensed.

All food vendors will need a temporary food vending license, unless you already have a license from the city of Cleveland that allows you to serve food at multiple locations.

Note: Just because you have a permit for your restaurant DOES NOT mean that you can sell food at other locations.

If you are using propane, charcoal or any other flammable substance to
cook food, you will also need a hazardous substances permit from the
fire department. Again, we will have to get these for you.

Once we obtain the permits from the city, we will send them to you. We
realize that this process is somewhat cumbersome, but the city is
insistent that we do it this way.

It is vital that all food vendors follow these rules and act as quickly
as possible, since the city requires that all food vendor permits be
obtained at least two weeks prior to the event.

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Do I really need a permit?

The inspector from the city Department of Public Health stops by both days of the fair and checks for permits from all the food vendors. In short, yes, you really do need a permit.

Is it all right if I sell drinks at the Fair?

Food vendors are not allowed to sell beverages (including slushies). The Hessler Neighborhood Association has the cold beverage concession each year and will once again be selling lemonade and pop at the Fair. We will also make arrangements to have coffee and other hot beverages sold at the Fair. The Fair is run as a fund-raiser for the HNA and since it isn't possible to charge admission, this is how we do it.

I notice you didn't say anything about beer...

The Hessler Street Fair is officially an alcohol-free event. We do not sell beer/wine/etc., nor may any of our vendors (we aren't insured for it). Sorry. There are several watering holes in University Circle and we would tend to encourage those desiring alcohol to drink to patronize these local establishments.

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