ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Businesses say a person living in a home in the middle of an old town is breaking all the rules by selling food and jewelry right out of their front door. The home is located right near the historic San Felipe De Neri Church. Old Town is usually busy with tourists during the summer, but nearby business owners say over the holiday weekend it was even more packed with people lined up to buy food, drinks, and even jewelry from the home.
Some nearby businesses would be fine with it if they followed the proper procedures. “I just don’t see how that is feasible because it’s a residence, it’s not a separate entity for them to serve food. It’s frustrating because we have to have a legitimate business through the city, have our permits, have everything… our building was inspected” said one business owner who wishes to remain anonymous.
Those business owners who are against the home doubling as a storefront and wish to remain anonymous say not only does it take revenue away from the already established businesses in the area, but it also takes away from Old Town’s historic appeal.
However, there are some shop owners who welcome the idea saying it helps bring more foot traffic in, but they too agree protocols should still be enforced. KRQE News 13 spoke with the owner of the home who said he told his tenants they could operate a business but they needed the proper permits. “For me, this is a great idea and I told them yeah they told me that they are going to do the market kind of pop-ups,” said property owner, Dipo Alam.
The city says the area is a mixed zoned use area which allows for small retail business with the proper permits. A spokesperson from the city said the businesses do not yet have the proper permits however the residence is in the early stages of getting the proper permits to run a business. An inspection is expected by Friday morning.
