Over the past several years folks have been setting up used magic displays on Dallas Street in Colon, Michigan during magic week. You can usually pick up some good bargains and I enjoy picking throught the tricks,books (some of it good - some is junk but hey one man's junk is another man's treasure!)

Unfortunately there are a few who have decided to bring a "satellite" of their magic shop and set them up under tent with display cases creating a mini magic shop in someone's front lawn. This is wrong and for those of you that want to keep the magic alive on Dallas Street sellling used magic be aware that the village Colon, Colon Chamber of Commerce and Township have taken enough complaints that they are investigating the options of raising the weekly peddlers permits double and making it a per day diem - i.e now the village charges $25 per week - this could go up to $100 per day if passed. This is FAIR to those of us who set up shop , Abbott's and FAB, permanently 52 weeks out of the year but will be unfair to those who are just trying to sell used magic out of their car. Portable magic shops with all the bells and whistles simply is uncalled for. I am sure they wouldn't like it if either one of us set up shop across the street from their store. If these 'stores' don't stop setting up shop (and they ARE bricks and mortar shops who have decided to sell during magic week) fees will be most likely raised and it will most likely eliminate the average guy - so unless these 'stores' back off their practices it most likely will end the street deals as the fees will be so high nobody will want to set up. Please, if you are one of these dealers or know of them - talk to these folks - and let's keep this fun and FAIR!

It would be a burden on the actual used magic dealers, as well as the local garage sales, to raise the prices, and I think raising the price will have exactly the opposite effect you want. It will drive out the small time dealers. The tent retail dealers won't really be affected, and they may actually profit by not having the smaller used dealers around to take away business. The consumers are the losers, and won't return for future conventions.

Instead what you need to do is limit the size of the sale and the type of items sold. I did a quick Google search to find out what some other towns do to prevent this situation and came back with the following:

This one was written to protect established commercial businesses:
Applicants must affirm that the items being sold are personal property
of the applicant and in no way were acquired or assigned to the applicant
for the purpose of resale.

Another idea is to place limits on the size of the sale such as the following:
Items for sale must be placed in the garage or driveway of your residence.
It is not permitted to display items in the yard or within 30 feet of a curb.

Hi.that would be a good idea but no one to police that part of it (size of sale). If the ordinance is re-written it will affect all of the vendors on the street. The talk is $50 per day. So, if you know who the folks (magic shops setting up on the street) put some pressure on them knowing this is a real possibility within the next few months.