Our volunteer Ilias Bowen-Sicalides recently finished processed a set of Engineering Department records that gives us a fascinating look at street vending carts in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Board of Public Works authorized street vending carts in 1972, with a one-page document providing all of the regulations for cart owners. As the number of vendors increased over the next decade, the city saw a need to update those regulations and commissioned a report from the Engineering Department to clarify existing regulations and recommend improvements.

This series includes that report, its drafts and appendices, records of public forums, and correspondence about the new regulations. It also includes research done into other cities’ regulations, news clippings about response to the updates, and a collection of street vendor permits and invoices from before and after the new regulations took effect.

The file of permits has been digitized and makes for interesting browsing. Permits include details about the cart including ownership, dimensions, and location and often have a photo attached. The series as a whole is a fun look at a piece of the evolution of the street food scene in Seattle and gives a glimpse into the culture of downtown in that era.