Regulations too onerous, say antique mall owners

Owners of antique malls say enforcement of Reno regulations requiring background checks and complete inventories forced one to close and threatens others.

The rules, they say, are intended to regulate pawnshops and second-hand stores not the malls in which sellers rent booth space.

City officials are reviewing the law to see if they can ease the burden on antique dealers.

Uptown Antiques and Collectibles on Gentry Way closed its doors, blaming city requirements.

The background checks and licenses can cost more than $750, says Mike Gerth, who owned Uptown Antiques with Jim Richenberger. The store closed in February.

A year back, the antique mall was home to 34 dealers. But that fell to none as dealers moved to other cities with less onerous enforcement.

"They went to apply for a business license with the city of Reno and had to go through a

It included a $2,500 bond, fingerprinting and a $150 state and city combined license.

"Reno is the only city in Nevada that goes through this stuff," he says.

Meanwhile, dealers and owners have been meeting with city officials, seeking a reprieve.

Last year, after getting paperwork from the city, some of the dealers went through channels in an attempt to find a solution.

"We went to our City Council members," says Arlene Shier, operator of All Our Yesterdays at 1215 S. Virginia St. "We walked away with nothing. They were running us in circles and never gave us an answer."

After a meeting this month, however, at which 25 antique dealers met with the city attorney, revenue manager and community liason, the City Council pledged to review the ordinance within 60 days to see if there's a less onerous way to enforce it.

All Our Yesterdays houses 27 dealers. "Most of us are senior citizens," Shier says. "This gives them something to do; they come down and socialize."

Hank Tavener opened Virginia Street Antique Mall at 1251 S. Virginia St. 16 years ago and houses 86 dealers at his store.

"I've lost half a dozen dealers already," he says. One, he says, applied for a business license and was told she must provide the background check on the spot or be fined $500 a day.

"Most are senior citizens living on Social Security, eeking out a bit of extra money from a collectibles case in the store," says Tavener. "They used to be able to go downtown and get a license for 60 bucks. It wasn't a problem. Now it's a major problem."

And, he adds, should a dealer want to add a second case at another antique mall, the dealer must repeat the entire process again, rather than piggyback on the first permit.

Inventory lists are also a problem in the business, he adds, because the dealers often empty out their cases after the winter holidays and fetch spring items from their garage storerooms. The unsold items then go into storage. It would be a nightmare to be constantly updating that changeover, says Tavener.

But not all the dealers find the code onerous. Jerry Kiger at Antiques and Treasures, 151 N. Sierra Street, provides space for around 60 dealers.

"This place is heavily licensed," he says. "We carry a license for everybody. And 60 percent of our dealers

have their own license. We also carry a bond to cover everybody."

Tracy Chafe, chief deputy of civil division at city attorney's office, says the city is merely following the dictates of state law.

Not so, says Gerth, who believes other cities have found less onerous ways to deal with the law.

"I called the Las Vegas business office. Just fill out the form and pay $55. And they'd issue me a temporary license the same day," he says. "The City of Reno makes you wait two months. All my dealers decided to go to Carson City."

Chafe says the city wants its process to be both streamlined and comply with state regulations. The city hopes to reduce the cost of background check requirements, currently as much as $250, to less than $100.