Vendor Profile: Warren Stevens, Jr.

Warren Stevens, Jr holding up a copy of Street Sense for sale.

Warren Stevens, Jr. Photo by Street Sense Media.

The Cheerful Worldview of Warren Stevens 

I met Street Sense vendor Warren Stevens, Jr. on a crisp, sunny Sunday afternoon when he arrived right on time to our rendezvous spot in Columbia Heights. We sat side-by-side in a small patch of sun at a community park nearby as Warren told me a little about his life.  

Warren was born in Washington, D.C., and had lived in the same house for 40 years, until it was sold just last month. When he was younger, Warren moved to Thailand with his family where he lived for five and a half years. After returning to the United States, Warren eventually took a job at the Department of Transportation in Southwest D.C. as a distribution clerk. In this position he was responsible for collecting and passing along mail, making copies and more. Warren worked for the Department for 35 years and retired in 2005. According to this vendor, retirement was his proudest moment. “I can now enjoy life and work part time if I want to,” said Warren.  

In his free time, Warren enjoys bowling, riding bikes and playing music. He first learned to play guitar in Thailand and has kept up the hobby ever since. Warren particularly enjoys jazz and gospel music and used to play in a folk band at church. These days on some Friday nights Warren can be found playing drums at the Potter’s House open mic night.  

Warren started selling Street Sense in 2007, and he feels the paper provides valuable articles and information to the community. Warren usually sells papers in Dupont Circle, so that’s where we met on Veterans Day for a mini-photo session. We were lucky enough to have another warm sunny day, and on this holiday, many people were lounging around the park. I took photos of Warren holding the paper high and smiling brightly. He quickly sold the two papers he had brought with him. As a parting thought, Warren would like his Street Sense readers to know that he enjoys making their days happy. 


Issues |Community


Region |Dupont Circle|Northwest|Ward 2|Washington DC

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