The Fort Collins Candy Store Emporium Museum
Tony Vallejos
My name is Tony Vallejos and I own The Fort Collins Candy Store Emporium Museum. It was/is a 1940s inspired vintage candy store that included my antique toy collection.
I “temporarily” closed the store during the pandemic. Last year I focused on reopening and have become doubtful.
Because I was a sole proprietor with no employees I was never eligible for any covid relief, grants, unemployment…nothing. I only received two stimulus checks. Because the store was closed for two years (so no income) I would not qualify for a bank loan. Even with a history of over $200,000.00 in sales with no employees.
My only hope was a grant…or an investor. I have I met/corresponded with the mayor, the chamber of commerce, city council, economic health director, cultural services director, the governor, the senators and the small business development who not only said my only hope was to start my own go fund me page but the executive director emailed me,
“you are aware of some generational differences with people who may venture into your business and how it would be perceived. These are legitimate concerns for any community in which you plan to reopen your business.”.
The generational differences she is referring to is the antique toy collection that includes (in her opinion) items that are concerns of cancel culture. But she also organized a meeting with Matt Wasserman the Founder & Principal at Make Philanthropy Work and Together4Timnath a private grass roots organization from Denver to defeat 3H on the November 2022 ballot…not what I expected at all from the SBD!
But this wasn’t my only confrontation from Larimier County. If you hadn’t visited my store you might remember when I was headline news, when my store or rather the antique toy collection became entangled with the County Assessor.
Before I moved my store that started in Cheyenne, Wyoming where I not only had a business license for the candy store, I also had a nonprofit license and museum title for the museum…the antique toy collection. I was told my title would transfer but it did not. Without a museum title I went to the assessor for consultation and guidance. I was told without a title the property in my business would be taxed and they gave me a year grace period.
Of course I was unable to get a title because in Colorado they don’t issue museum titles to an individual…only corporations. I was informed the tax would be 10% of the current market value of the collection. So the estimated tax would be $40,000.00 annually.
To avoid the tax I had to remove the antique collection. After I removed them I contacted the press. It wasn’t until the press relentlessly questioned the assessor to which they then found a newly discovered clause in the personal property manual that would exclude the tax.
So the reality was/is if they didn’t change the books/law then when I went to them before I opened my store…they misled me for the entire time I was open for business. They made me removed the collection which had an impact on my sales and told the press I was incorrect and made the press run a retraction. It was all unnecessary! Because if the law was there all that time…I was ok to display them without any taxation!
You would think that after all the city and county did to me…they would try harder to help me. Instead they double down and suggest I move.
I always thought government was maintaining order, providing public services, providing national security, providing economic security, and providing economic assistance. I received none of that!