No signs, less business

TYLER-In last week's weekly address, President Obama stressed the importance of helping small businesses.

The feds want to help, but in some cities small business owners say they are dealing with what they are calling "very frustrating interference."

In this economy, many are holding on by a thread. So when the city of Tyler tries to take away their cheapest form of advertising, many say they could force because of this.

Some say almost 60,000 people drive down Troup Highway every day. And to get people's attention small business owners do what they can. Sometimes that means putting up signs or banners.

But almost has fast as they were put up, Tyler city officials were handing out notices warning the owners of a fine.

Under the current city ordinance, a business is allowed to have banners and signs only if they have a permit. Each business is only allowed to be issued two a year, each one lasting only 30 days.

Considering all the tough competition these small mom and pop stores face against the big box stores, why is the city charging these small stores a fee to hang a banner in front of there own store?

Shane Rothrock, owner of The Computer Doctor on Troup Highway in Tyler, told us after putting up one of his signs, in just three months he had almost 100 new customers who wouldn't have seen his store if it weren't for the sign.

"We've had several people in this strip that are no longer here because they just couldn't hold on anymore," Rothrock said.

In these hard economic times, can't the city cut some business owners some slack?

But Barbara Holly with the city told us this was what the citizens wanted.

"The citizens said look we want the city to be prettier and that was one of the aspects they wanted to see," Holly said.

"In this economy what does looks matter if the businesses are gone," Rothrock said.

The city did say Wednesday afternoon that the committee in charge of these kinds of ordinances are reviewing the issue and an open house will be scheduled in the next few weeks to allow the public imput on the issue.