8
Friday, November 20, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Campus/Area
Vendors say running cart is frankly hard work
Frank S. Day, Lawrence, puts chili on a chili and cheese frankfurter. Day operates Frank's Franks on the corner of Ninth and Massachusetts streets from 11 a.m to about 4 p.m. Tuesday on Saturday.
By DAYANA YOCHIM Special to the Kansan
At a time when fast food chains are rapidly multiplying, one food business literally stands alone in downtown Lawrence.
Frank's Franks, a hot dog stand owned by Frank S. Day, is the only place where pedestrians can walk and grab a quick bite to eat. Day's cart, which is at the corner of Ninth and Massachusetts streets in front of Pendragon and Pennylane Records and Tapes, is hard for passing shoppers to miss.
Though many street vendors have come and gone in Lawrence, this hot dog stand has served downtown shoppers for $4\frac{1}{2}$ years. The cart has had four owners.
Mayor Mike Amyx and his wife, Marilyn, owned the business before Day. Marilyn Amyx ran the stand during the day, while her husband helped clean it at night.
"He had to talk me into getting the cart." Mentioned, Amyx said. "I went into it pretty blindly."
At the beginning of their second year of ownership, the Amyxes hired Day.
"I was going back to school, so we weired another person to run it for us," Marilyn said.
But Day, a Lawrence resident, wanted his own business, he said, so he bought the cart in May. He admits he did not anticipate the dog that went along with running the hot dog stand.
"I hate for other people to be my boss. I like to be the star. I love it when it is on stage here," Day said. "But this is not a sometimes life." "I don't expect my entire life to be devoted to it."
Day serves hot dogs, super dogs, polish sausages, pop and pickles from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Afterwards, he packs, cleans and restocks until 11 p.m.
Day said he sold an average of five pounds of hot dogs, five pounds of polish sausages and four pounds of super dogs in one day. Two days a week he goes shopping to stock his cart for the next week.
Marilyn Amyx also said she didn't anticipate the effort it would take to run the cart.
ensuring a vendor downtown is not as easy as choosing a product, picking a corner and vending.
Vendors pay a $300 fee for a license, which must be approved by the Lawrence City Commission. Each month, the owner of the business must pay $50 to operate a stand. This guarantees the owner use of a specified corner in downtown Lawrence.
Several years ago the commission decided to limit the number of vendors or Massachusetts Street blocks.
"I think the commision was smart in limiting the number of vendors allowed," Marilyn Amyx said. "Otherwise the street would
"I would like to take it to other city functions such as ball games at night, and sell my hot dogs," he said.
Day said he would like to expand his business.
become too congested."
To do that though, Day would have to pay an additional $5 to operate on other properties owned.
Nghia Nguyen, owner of The Little Dragon,
907 Massachusetts St., sold oriental food from a cart for a few months last year.
"I had a pretty good business outside," she said. "There was little overhead, and if just one person has to operate it, you can make a good profit."
Nguyen had to pay $7 for the electricity it took to run her cart. She has not brought it out this year. Instead, she is now leasing building that enables her to operate the entire year
The biggest drawback for street vendors is the inconvenience caused by the weather.
"This business is very weather-oriented," said Day. "If it varies even two degrees, they don't come down to shop, and I don't sell my hot dogs."
"We had a cookie stand, a yogurt stand, a snow cone stand and, of course, the hot dog stand, all operating downtown at one time." Amyx said.
The hot dog stand is the only one operating in Nevada to transition to Napa Valley among the vicious cities. It was notorious.
"I don't really think there was any," Nguyen said. "We all offered completely different food."
Some store owners said the vendors helped their businesses
Day said, "When the yogurt lady was down she got along very well. I served the meal, she took it."
"People that are outside eating are attracted to our windows," said Cheryl Wagner, owner of Pendragon, 846 Massachusetts St. "Sometimes I think that brings them into the store."
According to Cody Oches, an employee of Pennylane Records and Tapes, 844 Massachusetts St., "People stop into our store because he's there, and maybe vice-versa."
Day had originally decided to sell his last hot dog and pack his cart at the end of October. But warm fall weather has helped his business, so he decided to rent his corner for another month.
"I don't quite know what I'll do in the off season," he said. "But next spring, I'll be back out here selling my hot dogs again."
New club lends aid in finding rock LPs
By KIRK ADAMS
Staff writer
Rock 'n' roll enthusiasts who are tired of paying $10 a shot for record albums, then finding out the tunes are not so hot, can now join a KU student's music club.
Kevin Bates, Overland Park senior, is looking for people who are interested in rock music and want to exchange and review albums. The Rock 'n' Roll Audiophile Club will meet at Bates' home, 1614 Kentucky St. There is no membership fee.
Bates said the group, for now, would focus on traditional rock as well as popular college rock groups such as R.E.M.
"It just depends on what people's tastes are that in the group."
He also said the group would not be taping music.
Bates said he started the group because he thought people often bought albums and later found out that they didn't like the music.
"I don't want people wasting money on an album when they don't even know what it sounds like," he said.
Bates said he ran a classified ad about the club last week and about six people told him they would like to join the group.
The group will meet once or twice a month. He said people could bring their own albums and that he would supply many new albums. At meetings, the group will listen to music and submit reviews of new albums they have listened to.
Jeff Marshall, Kansas City, Kan., senior, said he was interested in joining the group because he thought it would give him more exposure to the music he is most interested in, movie soundtracks and movie background music.
He said he thought that he would meet people in the group that might lead him to music he has not heard before.
COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL!
Don't miss out on all the fun the K.U. Men's Glee Club has to offer. You don't have to be a great singer and no auditions are required. Contact Murphy Hall at 864-3248 today!
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