Lois Jackson, mother, grandmother and mayor of Delta since 1999, admits she's no stranger to ink.
"I have nothing against tattoo parlours," Jackson told Business in Vancouver. "I've got two tattoos myself."
But that doesn't make her any more sympathetic to the concerns of some business owners along a stretch of Scott Road. Because of a recently passed bylaw, tattoo parlours, adult video stores, check-cashing businesses, gun stores and pawnbrokers will face an astronomical increase in their annual business licence fee – to $3,525 from $178.
"I can't afford that," said Ed Holmes, the owner of Silver Liquid Tattoo. "I've spent 18 years building up a clientele, same address, haven't switched locations, and now they want me out."
The bylaw is part of the City of Delta's plan to revitalize the north end of Scott Road, which Jackson says is currently in "really rough shape." She envisions high-density housing, sidewalk cafes and a rapid-transit option, like a streetcar.
The new rules prohibit any new businesses that fall under the undesirable category, but allow existing ones to stay – if they can afford to. Jackson said the new $3,525 fee to license certain businesses will ensure only high-calibre businesses will remain in the neighbourhood.
"To have a good quality store, it has to have a good quality business plan to put that best foot forward," said Jackson. "I think that may be one way of doing so."
Charles Parent, a founder of the BC Body Art Association, has run into similar restrictions in the suburbs.
"In the city of White Rock, it is illegal to have a tattoo shop," said Parent.
He believes the bylaws are unfair because they're based on the "personal bias" of city councillors, who equate tattoos with "sin".
(Business in Vancouver has learned that on April 15, White Rock's city council voted to change its bylaw and will now allow tattoo shops to open.)
"A good 95% of tattoo shops – let's face it – they aren't making a hell of a lot of money," said Parent. "The overhead for a tattoo shop is amazing. I had to make $7,000 a week to keep the doors open."
Holmes, who spoke against the bylaw at a council meeting in March, said he's urging his customers to contact city hall.
Parent, however, was skeptical that the municipality would back down.
"In my experience," he said, "once a government has found a way to take your money, they're not going to get it back."
Jackson said the bylaw was enacted partly because other municipalities have similar rules, making Delta a more popular location for the undesirable businesses to set up shop.
With a new 35-storey tower planned for the area, Jackson hopes cleaning up Scott Road will attract more people to move to the area.
"Hopefully [it will] create a new pod for our own people in which they can shop and have an experience of the commercial area and draw a lot of people to live in the higher-density nodes," she said. •
