News · Kingstown
Kingstown Town Board Bans Vending on Bay and Bedford Streets from Saturday
The board says street vending, including on the sidewalks, will no longer be allowed in the two areas from September 12, and has told affected vendors to return to market stalls or apply for one.
The Kingstown Town Board has ordered an end to street vending on two of the capital’s main commercial streets. In a public notice dated September 9, the board said vending would no longer be permitted on Bay Street, Bedford Street and the surrounding areas, including the sidewalks, with effect from Saturday, September 12, 2026.
The notice, issued over the signature of acting Warden Noel Dickson, asked vendors operating in those areas to return to their respective market stalls or to apply for a stall at a designated market. It described the measure as part of the board’s ongoing effort to keep Kingstown “clean, safe, orderly, and accessible.” Vendors were asked to comply and to make the necessary arrangements before the effective date, and the board thanked vendors and the public for their cooperation. The board’s chair is listed as Angelita Miller.
The timeline is tight. Dated September 9 and taking effect on September 12, the notice leaves those affected roughly three days to find alternative space and move.
A long-running cleanup
The order continues an effort to clear Kingstown’s streets that has run for several years and across changes of government. In 2022, under then Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, the authorities announced plans to remove hundreds of vendors from the city’s streets and opened new market facilities, including the Uptown and Downtown vegetable markets, as reported at the time by iWitness News and Searchlight. The warden then, Clayton Burgin, set a deadline of late November 2022 for an end to street vending of produce and other food.
The push carried into this year. In February 2026, One News St Vincent reported that the government had signaled a tougher stance on street vending, with a government minister describing illegal vending as a “grave concern.” The outlet noted that about 90 vendors were officially permitted to trade along Kingstown’s streets and sidewalks, and that enforcement had been inconsistent.
Questions the notice leaves open
The board’s notice does not say how the ban will be enforced, whether enough market stalls are available for the vendors being asked to relocate, or what will happen to those who do not have a stall or cannot secure one before Saturday. It also does not address casual and weekend vendors who trade in the affected areas.
For many who sell on Bay and Bedford streets, the stalls are their livelihood, and the short notice leaves little time to arrange an alternative. The board can be reached at its Central Market office on Bay Street at (784) 456-1173. Vincypowa News will follow the rollout of the mandate and its impact on vendors in the capital.