City of Houston forces local small business Trendz by Tammy salon to close location after 12 years

Jan. 10, 2013 - PRLog -- HOUSTON -- Tammy Fleming, single mother and owner of Trendz by Tammy hair salon, started her life in Houston on welfare. She worked temporary assignments so that she could finance her passion, working in a hair salon. In 2001, just 5 years later, Tammy purchased a residential/commercial property at 6915 Scott Street in Houston, TX. The 40 year old building became her primary residence. She dedicated a small portion of the building for her small business Trendz by Tammy hair salon. Tammy says the layout of the building is exactly the type of structure she needs in order to be able to work the hours required for a new hairstylist to be a success while still remaining dedicated to raising her two young sons, then ages 1 and 9. Their father lives in another state and she has no family in Houston to rely on.

Tammy lives, plays, patronizes, and runs her local small business out of her home in this community for 12 years. But now the City of Houston permit division tells this single mother and productive member of the community, get a 2013 standard commercial certificate of occupancy license, shut down her small business or suffer the consequences in huge fines.  Tammy has asked over and over, “why can’t I be grandfathered in after 12 years of paying business taxes and providing a service for this community?” Inspector Gardner practically ignored her as he wrote citation after citation about major electrical, plumbing and even foundation work that had never been done. Tammy says the accusations were so ridiculous, it even made City of Houston electrical inspector Chris Silva cringe.  Mr. Silva’s inspection visit was sparked by inspector Gardner’s report. Inspector Silva admits he has personal knowledge of Trendz by Tammy hair salon being in the Foster Place subdivision for a very long time.

Tammy says the problems all began in August 2011 when her small business were targeted because of the personal vendetta a City of Houston employee had toward her. One week after Tammy asked the disgruntled hair salon client of 2 years not to return to her hair salon at 6915 Scott Street anymore because of gossip and betrayal, City of Houston inspector began to show up and write citations on the salon about every two weeks. Tammy says she had to go to the City of Houston permit offices on Washington Ave to ask inspector Gardner’s supervisor to give her a chance to try and resolve the problem. Inspector Gardner’s immediate supervisor assured her that he would call him off and give her time to resolve it.  

Tammy was allowed by the City of Houston to renew her sign permit for $80 the day before she was told to get out. She has been paying separate business taxes on the property for Trendz by Tammy Hair Salon since 2001.  Tammy is a community leader and her son has consistently been on the honor roll at local community schools Foster Elementary and Cullen Middle School. Now Tammy has been told by the City of Houston to get her 50 year old building up to the city’s standards to obtain a commercial certificate of occupancy license, close the doors of her Houston small business hair salon forever, or pay the price. Tammy pleaded to her local representative Boris Miles, whose personal residence is walking distance from her salon. She says Representative Miles came to her salon and was on his cell phone the whole time. He left her salon and she never heard from him again. “If he is not representing me, then who is he representing? I am his constitute” She wants to appeal to small business owners, and community leaders to stop these vindictive City of Houston employees who use that office’s resources to retaliate because of a personal vendetta. These City of Houston employees have deemed themselves the judge and jury of a single mothers’ livelihood. The City of Houston permit division needs to leave this small business owner and productive member of society alone and let her continue to do what she has done for 12 years. Trendz by Tammy hair salon should be grandfathered in so that this salon can be shielded from the commercial guideline criterias that will surely put her small business out of business.  

For more information about this business visit http://www.trendzbytammy.com

To learn more please contact

Tammy L Fleming/owner, Media Relations
Trendz by Tammy Hair Salon
6915 Scott Street
Houston, TX 77021
(832)443-5335
(713)440-0404
www.Trendzbytammy.com

Photos:
https://www.prlog.org/12055815/1
https://www.prlog.org/12055815/2