Wichita toy store owner asks City to change ordinance

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — If you want to open a secondhand store in Wichita, some City of Wichita requirements might discourage you. For example, the City says some secondhand stores must fingerprint people who bring in used items.

Derek Sorrells told the City Council that’s a problem. He owns Let’s Go Build, 2684 N. Greenwich, a store that buys, sells and trades Lego bricks.

“I’m asking a mother who brings in $20 worth of Legos to submit her fingerprint,” he said. “There were many odd looks. Many odd looks. And there were frankly people who walked out the door.”

Sorrells said when he decided to open the store, he knew it was essential to do some research.

“I knew a secondhand dealer license was going to be required, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s simple and easy. They can’t be that complicated.’ Well, it was that complicated,” he said.

Sorrells decided to dig into what was going to be needed.

“I found out it was going to be a little onerous and a little difficult for our customers,” he said. “As you can imagine, having someone come in with an old collection of Legos when their son or daughter goes off to college and having to have a driver’s license and a fingerprint scan — it’s a little intimidating for people.”

Sorrells reached out to Wichita’s mayor and City Council members.

“Well-meaning laws can sometimes tend to go astray at times,” he said.

Because of his efforts, City staff began researching his concerns and reworking the charter ordinance for secondhand dealer licensing.

Troy Anderson, assistant city manager, said the fingerprint requirement only applied to some secondhand stores. He said it started as a way to combat the resale of stolen goods.

But he said thieves are now more likely to sell stolen merchandise over the internet than take it to a used goods store.

On Tuesday, he presented the City Council with suggested changes to the ordinance.

“We went through the laundry list of businesses that were currently registered as secondhand dealers and tried to better understand what merchandise these businesses were involved in,” he said.

The proposed ordinance would exempt stores that sell these items:

Antiques and collectibles

Handbags, shoes and jewelry

Heavy equipment

Home appliances

Furnishings

Other household items

Lawn and garden supplies and associated equipment

Military surplus

Motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts, components and accessories

Textiles

Toys

“With that being said, there were a number of businesses that dealt in items, particularly around consumer electronics, musical instruments, sporting goods, etc., that will remain in the ordinance requiring a secondhand dealer license and all the associated reporting requirements,” Anderson said.

But he said the ordinance would repeal the fingerprinting scan for all secondhand businesses. He said the scanning equipment can cost anywhere from $100s to $1,000s.

“It can be difficult for some businesses who are just starting out to invest in that type of stuff,” Anderson said.

He told the City Council that the changes to the ordinance would bring the City more in line with state law.

“It also allows the Police Department to shift their focus of law enforcement resources where necessary and again creates a more business-friendly environment,” he said.

If the Council approves the ordinance change, Anderson said approximately 80 businesses would no longer need to obtain the secondhand dealer’s license. He said the cost to the City would be $100 per license, so $8,000.

Vice Mayor Mike Hoheisel asked Anderson to clarify what is meant by a military surplus store.

“When we looked, there was one business that has registered with the City as a secondhand dealer for military surplus. It was camo, used boots, used flak gear, those kinds of things,” Anderson said. “This does not include things like firearms, ammunition, etc. Much of this was just secondhand surplus goods.”

Anderson said the City staff recommended that the City Council postpone voting on the ordinance changes until May 9.

“That way, it just has an opportunity to get out there in the community, ongoing continued conversation, making sure that we haven’t missed anything and then hopefully coming back on May 9 to approve the alternative ordinance,” he said.

Sorrells told the Council that he appreciated all the work City staff did on the measure and that they were considering the changes.

The City Council voted 7-0 to delay the vote until May 9.