September 2021 by Ashley Rose
As a new small business coming out of the pandemic we were looking forward to holding our first in-person event at the MD State BBQ Bash, hosted and managed by the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. This event was supposed to be a large presence for our business and a way to announce and present additional services we will be offering in the Fall. We submitted our application as a vendor in May, 2021 and received approval for our booth in June, 2021. This takes time and money to plan for, especially being our first vending booth in-person, so after receiving this approval we immediately began preparation to ensure we had all the materials and supplies needed, and rearranged time in our (and others’) working schedules to guarantee this would be a successful event. To our surprise, we received a phone call yesterday (8/31/21) that our approval has been rescinded, nearly a month away from the event, with the excuse being that we provide a service and are not selling products and that we do not “fit” the area. We fail to understand how our application could have been reviewed and approved by a committee months ago and then gets rescinded. If that is the case, then again, how were we reviewed and approved in the first place? And if a vendor offering a service shouldn’t have a booth, then this needs to be explicitly stated in the application. Now, after being instructed that we will no longer have a booth, we are only offered the option of a refund, or to upgrade to another category worth thousands of dollars if we want to continue to participate. This is way more money than we had originally invested as a vendor and an option that would not offer us the same appeal we were looking for as a vendor. To have an approved application rescinded at no fault of our own without any compromise or discount for another option is, quite frankly, insulting. Growing up in Harford County and the Bel Air community, this comes as a huge shock and disappointment. We have now lost this opportunity, the money we have invested in this event, as well as potential business. Interestingly, it’s come to our attention that we are not the only business that has had the very same thing happen to them for this same event. Our understanding is that other businesses in our industry that support the Alliance create a stir when they find out similar businesses are approved for a vending booth. I’m all for competition, so rather than kicking us out so close to the event after initially granting us approval and showcasing this awful display of treatment, why not let each have our own booths? This is an organization with a mission to support local businesses and community growth. What a disappointment. The sheer lack of professionalism this organization has displayed has reaffirmed our belief that we would no longer support the Alliance or any affiliated events. I highly advise others to steer clear of the Downtown Alliance and events like these. You may unfortunately have the same experience as we did and waste your time and money.
