Craft fairs in quarantine: about 3,000 workers were left without income and ask for a platform to sell online

Karina Niebla

06/22/2020 - 7:00

• Clarín.com
• Cities

Neighborhood supply fairs returned. Also those of books, with special schedule. The City of Buenos Aires was adding activities to its list of exceptions, including the fair. However, artisans and craftsmen are still unable to return to their posts and demand a plan from the Buenos Aires Government to get afloat.

There are some  3,000 workers who, in times of forced inactivity, see how their list of emergencies, instead of shortening, expands exponentially. " We live on our trade and on the joy that comes from meeting neighbors and tourists," says Verónica Castelli, who until the quarantine started sold necklaces and rings at her stall in Manuel Belgrano square, located between Obligado, Juramento, Cuba and Echeverría, a few meters from the Juramento subway D station.

Castelli makes metal art : hammer, adjust with pliers, cut with a saw or pliers, polish the pieces with the lathe. She is also a delegate of that fair and one of the promoters of the claim, which encompasses both the artisans contemplated in ordinance 46.075 / 92 and those who sell crafts, collectibles or antiques, regulated by law 4,121. 

Verónica Castelli sells necklaces and rings in Plaza Manuel Belgrano.

In addition to the Manuel Belgrano square fair, there are six other purely craftsmen in the City: those of Plaza Francia, Parque Lezama, Parque Centenario, Vuelta de Rocha I (which operated on Thursdays and Fridays), Vuelta de Rocha II (which was Saturdays and Sundays) and Plaza Houssay, the only one that was open from Monday to Friday. There were also artisans in the Santa Fe square, a few meters from Plaza Italia, today a site in dispute where only two fairgrounds had remained.

There are more fairs with vendors included in Law 4,121 , including those in the Rivadavia, Centenario and Saavedra parks, and the Dorrego and Cortázar squares (the latter better known as Serrano square). They sell practically everything : crafts, collectibles, antiques, sheet music, magazines and used books, cassettes, films and records, and objects of philately and numismatics.

The 3,000 workers who meet both types of fair have some specific demands. On the one hand, they demand that the Buenos Aires Government implement its own online platform for the licensees, so that they can publish and sell their work in this way. On the other, they ask to be able to apply for subsidies and zero rate loans with a three-year grace period, so that they can reopen their workshops soon. And they contribute ideas, such as the implementation of a food card for artisans and craftsmen.

The neighborhood of La Boca, where there are usually two fairs around Caminito, is now deserted. Photo: Juano Tesone

“We spoke last week with officials from the General Directorate for the Conservation of the Urban Landscape, which depends on Public Space. They told us that they cannot give us subsidies or zero rate loans because they take care of the urgent. We are also the urgent thing: we don't even have to pay the rent, ”says Castelli.

They also came demanding the delivery of diapers, personal hygiene items, and fresh, non-perishable food. Finally, last Thursday the Ministry of Public Space and Urban Hygiene promised to give food bags.

Judith Fanelli is also a metal craftswoman. For 18 years she has been selling her boxes, mirrors and photo frames at the Plaza Francia fair, where she is also a delegate. She went through several crises, but this is the worst. And he knows that “ a bag is a help, but it does not save anyone's life . In itself the economy is stopped and people do not have a handle to buy. "

A group of artisans and craftsmen directly resorted to Justice: they are the street fairgrounds of Peru , who filed a writ of amparo to access an extraordinary contribution while the quarantine lasts. By virtue of that request, Judge Roberto Andrés Gallardo ordered the City to pay $ 10,000 a month to each one during isolation. But the ruling is already in the process of being appealed by the Buenos Aires government.

The Peru street artisans fair. Photo: Germán García Adrasti

Meanwhile, craftsmen and craftsmen must continue to pay shipowners to keep their jobs for them. Sellers under Law 4,121 also have to continue to pay taxes to AGIP. In this context,  some exhibitors seek to sell online, although it is not the same : a large part of the clients of these fairs buy because they saw something they liked in passing, instead of looking for something specific, as it usually happens when start an online purchase. Furthermore, not all vendors have access to new technologies or knowledge to manage them. There is also the pitfall of shipping: it is often more expensive than the part itself.

"From the ministry they told us to build the online platform and pass the link on to them. But there are many colleagues who do not have the slightest idea of ​​how to do it -explains Castelli-. We ask that the Buenos Aires Government develop the site , disseminate it and take charge of the shipments. Otherwise, it is impossible for us. We don't have the resources. ”

Consulted by this newspaper, sources of Public Space and Urban Hygiene indicate that the return of these fairs "is under study", although they have not yet announced when it will take place. And they clarify: “It will be based on the protocols and authorizations authorized by the Executive after this Sunday. There you will see what the ministry can and cannot do. ”

NS