By Crystal McGough
The Clay City Council unanimously passed a motion last night to hold a public hearing at the next city council meeting, Aug. 20. The hearing will be to discuss amending Business License Ordinance 2012-08 to remove the business license for pawn broker’s shops from Schedule H and put it into a new schedule, Schedule AD.
“We have a big new business that’s wanting to come into the city of Clay,” Councilwoman Becky Johnson said. “They own Pee Wee’s (Pawn) in Pelham and they would like to open a business here. The business license for that now falls in a category that’s $5,000. We feel like that’s a little high for a business, so we are going to put them in a separate category. They are in a category now with Adult Entertainment
. We feel like they are more in the line of consignment shops.”
The new business license fee for pawnshops will be discussed at the hearing.
Pee Wee’s Pawn is looking to open their Clay location in the old Movie Gallery space in the Clay-Chalkville Shopping Center on Old Springville Road.
Owner Erica Neel said that the Pelham shop has been in business for 22 years.
“I’ve investigated and have people that know where they are, what their business looks like and how they keep up their area,” Johnson said. “I’ve only heard good things about them.”
For more information on Pee Wee’s Pawn, visit peeweespawn.com.