Wichita ordinance change will help toy store and other secondhand shops

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The owner of a toy shop in Wichita has succeeded in getting the City of Wichita to rewrite its requirements for secondhand stores.

Derek Sorrells owns Let’s Go Build, 2684 N. Greenwich, a store that buys, sells and trades Lego bricks. As he was starting the business, he learned that the City ordinances for secondhand shops required him to fingerprint people who brought in used Legos. So, he took his concern to City Hall.

Troy Anderson, assistant city manager, has been working with City staff to find a solution. He said the fingerprint requirement started to combat the resale of stolen goods and only applied to some secondhand stores.

As a result of their work, Anderson and City staff tweaked the ordinances and approached the City Council in March. That led to more changes and another City Council visit in April.

On Tuesday, Anderson presented the winning option, and the City Council voted unanimously to approve it.

The rewritten ordinances create exemptions for:

Toys

Antiques and collectibles

Handbags

Shoes

Costume jewelry

Heavy equipment

Home appliances, furnishings and other household items

Military surplus

Motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts, components and accessories

Textiles

Secondhand stores that sell these items are not exempt:

Lawn and garden supplies and associated equipment

Consumer electronics

Musical instruments

Sporting goods

The dealers who are not exempt must still be licensed, but the fingerprint requirement has changed.

“We had ongoing conversations around the fingerprinting,” Anderson said. “The charter ordinance being presented to you introduces the requirement that a secondhand dealer must obtain a photographic image or video of the seller in lieu of a fingerprint scan, with one exception — automated kiosks, also known as ecoATMs, still require a fingerprint scan.”

He said he visited a couple of the kiosks around Wichita and confirmed they have a fingerprint scan.

Anderson pointed out that the exemptions will mean 80 shops no longer need secondhand dealer licenses. However, since they are $100 apiece, the City will lose out on that revenue.

But he said there are some benefits.

“We’re hoping that the regulations become more balanced between promoting a business, pro-business environment, along with providing law enforcement the tools and resources they need to pursue incidents of theft and recovery,” Anderson said.