Winterfest owners retaliate against vendor for speaking to the press

December 20, 2018 By Raanan Geberer Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Winterfest, the advertised 40,000-square-foot "world of holiday joy and wonder" behind the Brooklyn Museum has turned out to be anything but merry, according to customers and vendors. Eagle photo by Todd Maisel

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Winterfest, a temporary holiday attraction in the parking lot of the Brooklyn Museum, has been the subject of quite a few complaints.

Customers have grumbled that some of the promised attractions were either nonexistent or didn’t live up to what they expected.

Vendors have also complained. For example, handbag vendor Pamela Barsky said the vendors’ stalls constantly leaked and lost electricity. But now, Millennial Entertainment has retaliated against at least one vendor who complained, according to Gothamist.

After Johanna Guevara-Smiley, owner of a herbal company, complained to Bklyner, Millennial called her statements defamatory and false, terminated her agreement and told her to remove her belongings. After other vendors protested, Millennial told her she could stay, but also gave her a “last warning,” Gothamist said.

Winterfest organizers recently issued a statement that said, in part, “Since its opening, it has become a target of sustained negative press and comments which as a result have damaged the prospects not only of the event but also for the participating vendors.

“In particular, disgruntled vendors continued to make defamatory statements and raise absurd allegations which ultimately affected fellow vendors.”