Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Asheville antique dealers are up in arms about a proposed ordinance that would require them to submit information about daily transactions to local law enforcement electronically. The purpose is to enter the information in a database, known as Leads Online, in an effort to track down and recover stolen goods, and prosecute those trafficking in stolen property.
Right now pawn shop owners are required to be a part of the electronic submission. But a proposal that went before Asheville City Council on Tuesday would require that businesses such as antique stores to be part of the system.
In the face of opposition, City Council put off a decision until next month.
Here’s part of a March 4 letter to Asheville City Council from J. Kenneth Jones of the Antique Gallery:
I am extremely concerned about the proposed Secondhand Dealers Law, currently under consideration by Members of City Council, and the negative (if not fatal) impact this ordinance will have on local antique and secondhand businesses. It is beyond belief that this all-encompassing, detrimental, burdensome proposal has made it into the final stages of Council consideration. Obviously the people who authored it, or for that matter who were promoting it have never worked in a retail establishment dealing with second hand household goods. I am not referring to a Pawn Shop type of establishment but rather to a retail business who’s primary focus is the resale of used household items of any age or description.
I am the manager of an antique mall serving over 60 dealers or consignors. We stock a wide variety of items ranging from books, china, furniture, glassware, metal ware, paintings etc.. We have very little jewelry or silverware and the majority of our silverware is of the plated variety. Some of our vendors or consignors are downsizing and use our location to sell their no longer needed items, others are supplementing their income with what we sell for them. We have been in business in the same location since 1997 and have never had a single instance of either buying or selling a stolen object. In fact it is our policy never to buy anything from any walk in seller, and because of this reputation few people even ask anymore.
Many of these proposed requirements might be beneficial if applied to a pawn shop type situation where the merchandise tends to be of a type more often associated with theft and crime. But pawn shops already have to abide by other laws. In the case of second hand shops the items are household goods: china, furniture, glassware rugs, decorative objects etc., none of which the primary focus of any snatch and grab thief breaking into a house. They will go after the silver, jewelry, and electronics, items that can be easily fenced at flea markets or pawn shops. The temporary flea markets are not regulated by this proposed ordinance and as already mentioned the pawn shops have to comply with their own pawn shop and precious metals dealer laws.
The implementation of this ordinance will without a doubt destroy most of the second hand and antique businesses within the city limits of Asheville.
It is a way for the city to know how much you sell so you pay the right TAX'S on items sold…God I hate red tape…..I tryed to vote them all out but the people of this city just love to be screwed over and put them back in ….MAN….. Lets vote em out !!!!!!
So by the reasoning used by those in favor of this ordinance a consignment shop or even the Goodwill store or any "fundraising" secondhand shop (Junior League, Kiwanis Thrift Store etc.) should also have to report every item they sell electronically to the police too …. why would the law exempt them when they DO sell jewelery, and household items that for the most part are not antiques.
What's next individual yard sales required to electronically submit receipts to the law.
J. has this story been in the CT yet?
Antiques have always been a "buyer beware" industry, and the idea that the government should get involved in certifying authenticity (beyond enforcing false advertising and labeling laws that already exist) is ridiculous.
As the Antique Gallery owner points out, pawn shops and antique shops are very different businesses. When the Old Tobacco Barn starts making a substantial percentage of its income off of secondhand electronics and jewelry, then the moose above might have a point about it being "fair" to burden them with all this unnecessary, unhelpful reporting.
This would be a good thing since pawn shops have to do this all the time.
Even better would be mandatory record keeping of some sort to verify that said antiques weren't actually made in China last year. I recently saw some obvious fakes at the Tobacco Barn that were supposed to be from an old sailing vessel… life preservers from the S.S. Charleston or some such. Taking a closer look it was no doubt a forgery. The "S.S. Charleston" part was crisp yet the rest of the paint was flaking off.
In Hendersonville on Main Street I watched as a antiques shop received a delivery of "antiques" via UPS, "Made in China" and a part number stamped on the outside of the boxes.