Roanoke City Police take back permit to buy jewelry

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: March 28, 2008

Talk about a big difference. Wednesday the Ramada Inn was packed with people having their jewelry examined by buyers for Anderson, Carter, Tira and Associates Estate Buyers.

Friday, the place was almost empty. Hastily written signs were posted throughout the lobby of the hotel saying “Coins Only.”

That left customers with jewelry and flatware annoyed.

Jill Greenley said she felt “a little frustrated because we went through the house trying to find stuff that we don’t really use anymore.”

Greenley and others couldn’t sell their jewelry because Roanoke City Police admitted Friday morning that they made a mistake. They should not have issued a permit to buy precious metals Anderson, Carter, and Tira.

They can thank Michelle Belton for figuring it out. Belton owns, Companion Home Care in Roanoke, providing home health care for seniors. Her worry was that groups like Anderson, Carter and Tira would take advantage of older people like her clients.

“I had one that wanted to sell the family silver and I knew they wouldn’t give her enough for and I knew she would regret it later,” she said. “I felt like it was my mission to protect her.”

So Belton started a mini campaign. We got several e-mails from her and so did Roanoke County and City Police.

“I started with the county. I went from the county and didn’t get satisfaction from the ground and went to the ceiling until someone would listen to me.”

Finally it worked. Her argument based on a provision in Virginia Code that she persistently brought to the attention of authorities. It says “the business of a dealer shall be conducted only from a fixed and permanent location.“ Certainly a hotel room at the Holiday Inn and a conference room at the Ramada are not fixed and permanent.

So, the buying of jewelry stopped again for Anderson, Carter, and Tira. Police took back their permit.

Todd Tira, owner of the company, told WSLS that all the permit confusion has hurt business. But he’s not giving up and that they’ve tried to do everything above board and legally. They are now looking for a permanent space to lease so they can possibly come back. Tira said, “We won’t be scared off. It’s not a one time shot. We’re looking to lay the groundwork for the future.“   

Tira also wondered how Cashtown Estate Buyers, which has been its own expo running at the Holiday Inn in Roanoke County for three days, could stay open to buy jewelry. We wondered the same thing since Cashtown’s space isn’t permanent either.

WARREN: “Roanoke City Police are saying you can’t buy jewelry. What do you think of that?”

MULLENIX: “Well, that wasn’t what I was told when we initially came here several months ago. We were approached by the local authorities and told us we needed a license. We obtained a license and everything was fine.”

In fact this is his third show in Roanoke County. As of 4:30 Friday afternoon, Mullenix hadn’t heard from police. But, his expo ended Friday afternoon as advertised.

I talked with Roanoke County Police at 5:30. They said they will spend some time next week reviewing the code and determining how they will enforce it in the future.

It is important to note that neither the BBB nor police received any complaints about the estate buying organizations’ fairness or deals.

You do not have to have a permit to buy coins, so Anderson, Carter, and Tira is maintaining its coin buying operation at the Holiday Inn and Ramada. It’s show closes Saturday evening.