Hahahaha! I could sell any merchandise on a New York City sidewalk for free, no rent required.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/licenses/094.shtml
Selling on the streets there is not as easy as it sounds because licenses are restricted, my son was doing that (unlicensed) for a few years before opening his store in Brooklyn.
“You can apply for a General Vendor license if the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) contacts you with a waiting list number. The maximum number of General Vendor licenses that DCA issues to non-veterans is limited by law to 853. DCA’s waiting list for non-veteran applicants is currently closed.”