Vendor Profiles | Real Change

Global Vendor: Enroe Horvath

by Enroe Horvath | June 14th, 2017

I’m Hungarian, but I have been in Austria and selling the Augustin for nine years. I’m 68 years old — the same age as Arnold Schwarzenegger. I was a plumber by trade. I was always working, and I now have a pension of 30,000 Forint, which is about 100 euro. I worked in Germany, in Berlin, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Frankfurt — in all the big cities. But that was a long time ago. I worked for a Hungarian company and was never paid much.
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Vendor Profile: Chris Eller

by Mike Wold | June 7th, 2017

Chris Eller likes to talk with his customers.

“A lot of them talk about politics, a passionate subject; Trump, of course and ISIS and the Middle East. I read the papers every day. It’s important to be an informed citizen in this crazy world.”

He’s not sure how to make it less crazy.

“I don’t want to be that guy that’s telling people what to do. If I could convince people to not go to war, take advantage of each other financially and other ways — I don’t think people are so likely to listen, but it would be nice.”
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Global Vendor: Anthony

by Amelia Ferrell ... | May 31st, 2017

For the first time in 27 years, Anthony has a light bill in his name.

The 55-year-old Army veteran recently signed the lease to an apartment in Nashville after spending years sleeping in hotels, at friends’ places and on the city’s streets.

“When the lady handed me my keys, I cried,” he said.
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Global Vendor: Rainer

by Jonas Füllner | May 24th, 2017

Rainer has been living in Hamburg for nearly 40 years now and is a vendor at Hinz&Kunzt, a street paper in Hamburg, Germany. But, born in Düsseldorf, he has never lost his Rhenish dialect.

“Talking like this is just the way things are,” says the 63-year-old.

What brought him to Hamburg?

“I’m no stranger to debt,” says Rainer, grinning. “It forced me into this.”
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Vendor Profile: Maria D.

by Alex Gillow-Wiles | May 10th, 2017

Maria D. radiates warmth and openness. Talking with her it’s hard to feel you’re not right at home, regardless of where your conversation takes place. She speaks with a self-effacing kindness that belies the years of travel and hard work in her life.

Maria has lived in Portland for three years. She was born on the West Coast but spent many of her formative years in a much different climate.
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Vendor Profile: Sheila White

by Jacqueline Gros... | April 26th, 2017

Street Sense vendor Sheila White is many things: an artist, a mother, a grandmother and an activist in her community. After her apartment was flooded last year, she was forced to leave her home and her belongings behind. When she moved onto the streets, she was robbed, twice, losing everything from her dentures to her personal identification. She got back on her feet and joined Street Sense, a new creative community on her road to regaining housing, and is working to tell her story and improve the stories of others.
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Vendor Profile: Nathanial Trotter

by Sarah Harvey | April 19th, 2017

Nathanial Trotter is an artist, inventor and entrepreneur. A warm, friendly person, he loves the Broncos, Denver and the people who live there. He believes he has been blessed by God with “a personality to get along with people,” an attribute he uses daily to sell papers.
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Global Vendor: Daniel Collins

by Cat Cochrane | April 12th, 2017

Already a local celebrity in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland, Big Issue vendor Daniel Collins is now showing the city his creative side.

The former chef became a hit across social media and national news in January when he bought one of his regular customers a surprise breakfast to say thank you for their regular conversations.

Collins is clearly much in demand and for his latest project, he has been working with Scottish theater company A Moment’s Peace on their Common Ground project, for which the International Network of Street Papers is a media partner.
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Vendor Profile: Joseph W. Capozzi

by Lindsay Hueston | April 5th, 2017

“I’ve always been intrigued by the blue jay. Very intelligent bird, and very acrobatic, very good at flight,” Joe Capozzi said. “It just is very sleek, he’s not oversized, he’s just a medium-size bird, pretty much owns the air he’s in at all times. That’s why I can appreciate the blue jay. Hard work and dedication pays off, ask a blue jay.”
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Vendor Profile: Rose Gascon

by Lindsay Hueston | March 29th, 2017

If there’s any vendor who deserves a cup of coffee in the morning, it’s Rose Gascon.

Rose’s daily itinerary consists of commuting from Issaquah to Ballard, selling Real Change most mornings at the Trader Joe’s there, commuting back to Issaquah and working another job at Ross Dress for Less at night.
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