Scary Stories

Being a street vendor is not all its cracked up to be. I think people think my life is all festival and party because the events I vend at are fun. That is a perk of my job for sure, but there is a dark side. I am also held captive in my booth. I cannot just abandon my booth and run away. Thankfully that has not really been necessary either. However, I have definitely felt like a hostage in my own 100 square feet.

Last week I was vending at a reputable street show, in the evening. Evening shows can be a bit crazy especially if alcohol is being served. This guy wanders into my booth, clearly intoxicated and will not stop talking to me. I am polite at first, but try to not engage the guy, but he doesnt need my engagement, he just keeps talking, loudly, dropping "F-bombs", disrupting my displays. No one comes into my booth because of him. I consider asking him to leave, even physically pushing him out. I do not because I am sure he would create a big scene. Just as I was about to lose my patience, a woman walks right up to us and smiles really big. The guy takes the cue and leaves, quite surprisingly. She was the vendor across from me, and came to rescue me. He had been in her booth. I watched the guy go to the next vendor to torture him. I was surprised the drunk was interacting with a male vendor. Usually, the drunks are flirts too. After about 10 minutes, I went to the vendor being annoyed by the drunk and pretended to be a customer until the drunk moved on.

I listened to the drunk guy talk to all the vendors. He had the same line of questions and annoying behaviors for everyone. There was something about his behavior I wasnt buying, though. His questions seemed to be mild patter, but he also seemed to be prying a bit. We were in the last hour of the event. This guy didn't leave when we were all closing up either. I have a way of hiding/securing my important things while I tear down. It is a vulnerable time for vendors. He kept wandering around and being a pest. I quickly and carefully loaded out and left safely.

I have another guy who "scares" me while vending. He continues to be a bother, and I watch him and his behaviors very closely. The scariest thing about him is he is not scary to most.

This guy is older. He comes to the market every weekend, usually both days. He is always alone, though I have seen him talking to people briefly. I know I am going to sound paranoid or like a drama queen, but I stand firm in my belief. This guy is a creep.

He is a stalker, maybe the mildest form of stalking, but stalking just the same. He walks by and tries to catch my eye and make me smile. If I do smile at him he laughs and smiles back with a "gothcha" kind of look.

I like friendly people. I try to be friendly, most of the time. However, I do not always say hello or goodbye to everyone, especially if just in passing, or they seem busy or uninterested in interaction. This guy is persistent and devious. He stands just over the shoulder of someone I am talking to trying to catch my eye. He also walks by with a group, then hovers near the edge of my vision hoping to make me look. He always wears the same clothing, though. I have learned to see him with my peripheral vision and avoid him or look right through him. He seems to have gotten the hint, but he still tries to catch my eye. The other day, he actually came into my booth and commented on my appearance. I was shocked and annoyed. He was out of line to approach me knowing I do not want to interact with him.

I have spoken to the powers that be about him, and there is nothing to be done. They all know about him, but consider him harmless. I do not. I think he is grooming everyone and could very likely be a danger when given the opportunity. I continue to be careful when I am in public, it is part of being a woman. Scary!