10/11/2026
There are three things I don't mess around about:
1. My babies
2. My Mom
3. My business
These are three things I will drop everything for to take care of- in that order. Yesterday, right before 11AM on October 9th, aka right before the homecoming parade, I got an email from someone in the city offices saying I had three hours to provide a list of vendors because this person heard a rumor about an event I'd be holding with vendors. They wanted me to provide the date and time of the event in the email, as well. I do not have an active event permit and won't need one until December.
My friend watched my shop and kids while I ran to the city offices to ask what was going on, and why the assumption was made that I wasn't up to date on my permits. I was told I needed to provide a list on the spot for a permit that doesn't exist so they can check everyone's business licenses. I told this person we would provide a list with the application and that anyone without a license is my seasonal employee. They printed my business license application from earlier this year, highlighted my business name, and highlighted the number of employees I had listed...which was zero. This number just has to be the average of employees from the last calendar year and does not limit growth or decline. They then told me I need to provide a list of all my 1099 employees by name and that I'm not allowed more employees than was listed.
With hiring for my store happening next week, I asked why. I was physically shaking. I didn't yell, but this person could not point me in the direction of the municipal code to review any rule that says I need to identify my employees or run hiring decisions by the city. Because that rule does not exist. I took the evening yesterday to print and highlight any relevant business codes in the municipal library last night (which I had to hunt for with Google AI).
I am incredibly grateful for everyone who helped me navigate this situation, everyone who checked in with me today, and everyone who helped us reach a resolution. Paul Jepson reached out after hearing what happened and provided answers and solutions I wasn't expecting. The show will go on!
