Someone said there would only be two of us left...
I figure it will be Earlie and myself, of course ;-)
But I never expected things to get this bad.
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Burned-Out Broker Now Sells Hot Dogs
story.news.yahoo.com
HOLLAND, Mich. - When his job as an investment broker started
becoming too stressful, Jim Piersma decided that selling wine might be a
more enjoyable way to earn a living.
When the champagne stopped flowing for him, he found another niche in
the food industry — selling hot dogs from a vending cart.
This spring, Piersma started wheeling his one-man business, The Flying
Dutchman Hot Dogs and Sausages, around town.
"I love food and had always dreamed of opening a restaurant, but the startup
cost was to high. So, I've started out in the food business just a little
smaller," said Piersma, a Holland native.
Licensed by the state for food preparation, Piersma's stand offers all-beef
hot dogs. He also serves German hot dogs, Polish sausage and "Dutch
Dogs," which are mettwurst sausages in a hot dog casing. Sandwich prices
range from $1.50 to $2.50.
The name he chose for his new business reflects his Dutch roots. "The
Flying Dutchman" is also the name of a Holland cable-access television
program that he produces.
These days, Piersma parks his stand on a vacant lot along a busy street in
nearby Holland Township. He's there from 11 a.m. until about 3 p.m.
Monday through Saturday, when it's not raining.
Piersma said he had planned to set up his cart in downtown Holland but ran
into too much red tape.
"I just kept getting shuffled from person to person, and it wasn't worth it," he
told The Grand Rapids Press for a Sunday story.
He also tried to sell hot dogs from a private parcel in the city but the Holland
Zoning Board of Appeals turned him down. The panel said ordinances
require enclosed buildings and paved parking lots for a food establishment
— even a hot dog cart.
Cindy Osman, the city's director of environmental health, said Holland would
welcome Piersma's cart but he has been impatient to meet local guidelines.
"If he complied with the requirements, he could get a license to be a
downtown vendor," she said. "It would add to the downtown atmosphere to
have cart vendors."
"I'm learning a lot about city regulations in this job," said Piersma, who
indicated he probably will seek a Holland vendor's license again next
season.
He will be allowed to set up at Holland Municipal Stadium this summer
during home games of the Edge, a developmental club soccer team. He
also has city approval to sell hot dogs at Centennial Park on Friday nights
during the free Holland Summer Concert Series.
"It's a natural pairing," Piersma said. "People sit around the park on
blankets, listen to music, watch their kids play, get hungry and they visit my
stand." |
