Bluffton aims to make it easier for vendors, event organizers to do business in town

Whether you sell peaches, pulled pork sandwiches, or paintings of the May River, it could soon become easier for vendors to peddle their wares at special events and festivals in Bluffton.

Currently, all vendors must have a business license to participate in events such as the annual Bluffton Seafood and Arts Festival — even if they are coming from out of town to do business for a single day.

The burden of making sure all vendors are licensed has become “a huge concern of some our (event) organizers,” Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka said Tuesday.

Town Councilman Larry Toomer agreed, saying the licensing process can sometimes be “a real pain.”

Bluffton leaders granted preliminary approval Tuesday evening to a set of changes to town code aimed at easing that pain.

The proposal would allow vendors such as farmers, food truck or stall operators, and craft sellers to participate in special events and festivals without a license, so long as the event organizers inform the town and pay a fee.

The code changes are aimed at creating a more “simplified and business-friendly approach to the process,” Bluffton’s director of finance and administration Trisha Greathouse said.

Rather than obtain an individual business license for the hundreds of vendors who operate in town, event organizers would be charged a flat $50 fee plus $10 for each participating vendor who isn’t already licensed by the town. Licensed vendors would be exempt from the fee.

Events held more frequently than twice every three months, such as the Farmers Market of Bluffton, would pay a $50 fee quarter-annually, Greathouse said.

Vendors at special events are currently required to pay an annual base fee ranging from $30 to $50.

Not only would the code changes make life easier for vendors and organizers, it would also reduce the strain on Bluffton staffers tasked with managing business licenses, town leaders say.

“This will save countless hours of staff time,” town manager Marc Orlando said.

Councilman Dan Wood said the proposed changes “are a small price to pay” and could go a long way toward simplifying the process for everyone involved.

If given final approval next month, the changes would bring Bluffton’s code more in line with nearby municipalities such as Hilton Head Island and Beaufort.

This will help the town “stay regionally competitive,” Greathouse said.

This story was originally published July 11, 2017 at 6:34 AM with the headline "Bluffton aims to make it easier for vendors, event organizers to do business in town."