Ivy and Greg Hanley co-own Urban Market 1919 on Lemarchant Road in St. Louis. John’s.
Last year they opened a seasonal venture, the Christmas House, on a property next door. However, they say the site was not accessible and about two and a half months ago they started looking at the front of the nearby Brookfield plant.
On Halloween the city voted to convert the space to retail use and the next day they opened.
Ivy says they didn’t have a physical copy of that permit at the time, but remained in constant contact with the city.
On Thursday, she says they received the permit in the mail, but were surprised to also find an installation permit letter with it.
Greg says they have all the permits in place, but without a physical copy they wouldn’t be able to order the inspectors to follow them, so the city shut them down for safety reasons.
With the seasonal venture accounting for about 60 percent of their annual revenue, Ivy says the closure is a big success.
He says the impact is “so huge, it’s very hard to explain.” He says that between Urban Market and Christmas House they have over 400 vendors and this time of year they grow to about 28 people, which is an “amazing impact” on the area. Hanley says every day they’re closed is a big pushback.
The couple is hoping for a quick fix, but is considering other options if that doesn’t happen.
Meanwhile, the city of St. John’s issued a statement about the situation.
They say all businesses in the city must have a certificate of occupancy that ensures they comply with all necessary regulations, and businesses operating without approval could be ordered to close until they comply.
You can read the entire announcement from the city below.
“Businesses operating in the City of St. John’s must have a Certificate of Occupancy that ensures they are in compliance with the National Building Code, the Life Safety Code and all applicable municipal regulations. Any business operating without approval may be required to close until compliance. The purpose of these Codes and regulations is to provide safety standards for the use and occupation of buildings.” -Statement from the city of Agios Ioannis.
