Unless shoppers stumbled upon the Green Street Vault truck parked in areas such as Newbury Street, they had to track the mobile clothing company’s location on social media sites.
Now, however, the truck’s daily trips through Boston have hit a roadblock.
After receiving a citation from the City of Boston for “Occupying City Property without ‘proper permits,’” the Boston start-up is no longer allowed to park in Downtown Boston or the Back Bay, said co-owner Howard Travis in an email interview.
“We were initially told all we needed were ‘Hawkers and Peddlers’ licenses, so that’s what we have, but according to these city citations we were issued, we’re missing permits that actually don’t exist within city legislature,” he said.
Hawkers and peddlers are not allowed to operate downtown or in the Back Bay, Travis said. He and co-owner Derrick Cheung contend that their company, which sells clothing and hats, does not quite fit within any of the city’s defined guidelines.
The mobile store ran into trouble with city officials in early March, Travis said, despite his and Cheung’s efforts to obtain all the necessary permits before starting business in early 2011.
Since Green Street Vault conducts business transactions within the truck –not actually on the streets of Boston – the truck “technically operates in a ‘grey area,’” Travis said.
If the city considered the company a “hawker and peddler,” he said, it would group Green Street Vault “with pushcarts selling $5 sunglasses and roasted nuts.”
“Not that there is anything wrong with that by any means, we are just clearly a very different business,” he said.
Green Street Vault and the city are now at a standstill, Travis said.
“We are patiently waiting and abiding by the city’s laws by vending outside of their ‘restricted vending zone’ until a meeting can be set with city officials to determine our status,” he said.
Boston University students said they are surprised at the conflict between the city and the clothing company.
“I find it astounding that such an innovative company is being turned way from the city they sell in due to permits,” said College of Communication freshman Elise Yancey. “With all of the students in this area, Boston has become such a creative hub for people.”
Visiting the Green Street Vault truck is like walking into a small, quiet boutique, a shopping experience entirely different from what clothing stores in Downtown Boston tend to offer, Yancey said.
“Usually when I go shopping or browsing, I go to Newbury Street. Often the experience can be a little overwhelming. There are hundreds of pedestrians, the stores are crowded and the sales associates often seem frantic,” she said, adding that at Green Street Vault, “there’s a strong sense of customer service and comradely.”
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Cyrus Nazmiyal said he first visited Green Street Vault in September. He said he would be disappointed if the truck were no longer permitted to operate in the city, and it would be a shame for something so creative to disappear.
The company is banking on that element of creativity, Travis said, to resume its full operations.
“Boston is the home of innovative, entrepreneurial businesses supported by our local government,” he said. “Allowing us to continue to do what we do best will only help push the agenda for innovation forward.”
City of Boston officials did not respond to multiple interview requests by press time.
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