Oregon

It’s hardly unusual to hear small-business owners gripe about licensing requirements or complain that heavy-handed regulations are driving them into the red.

So when Multnomah County shut down an enterprise last week for operating without a license, you might just sigh and say, there they go again.

Except this entrepreneur was a 7-year-old named Julie Murphy. Her business was a lemonade stand at the Last Thursday monthly art fair in Northeast Portland. The government regulation she violated? Failing to get a $120 temporary restaurant license.

Turns out that kids’ lemonade stands — those constants of summertime — are supposed to get a permit in Oregon, particularly at big events that happen to be patrolled regularly by county health inspectors.

Alas, the Wild West is no more. We’ve been conquered by the fear of bugs. 😯

Franklin is also organizing a “Lemonade Revolt” for Last Thursday in August. He’s calling on anarchists, neighbors and others to come early for the event and grab space for lemonade stands on Alberta between Northeast 25th and Northeast 26th.

Yup. Tea parties have become too common, too passé. But surely they can come up with something more poetic and exotic than Lemonade Revolt. Puh-leaze! How about Lemonade Lulu, for instance? (Yeah, I know this is Oregon, but why not go Hawaiian?)

As for Julie, the 7-year-old still tells her mother “it was a bad day.” When she complains about the health inspector, Fife reminds her that the woman was just doing her job.

Way to go, Maria (aka Mrs. Fife). I commend you very sincerely for reminding Julie (aka Miss Murphy?) of this.

Like I ask in the post title, what’s an inspector to do…when laws and regulations collide with…uh…horse sense? 😆

Julie Murphy, unlicensed business woman in Oregon

But what’s with this headline?!

Maybe Julie was illegally operating a mobile lemonade stand…and ran down the inspectors…and now she must get a $120 license…before she can operate on the inspectors. Hey, you gotta hand it to the little gal — she tries to clean up her messes.

🙄

Go get ’em, Julie!

PS: A closing warning to non-Oregonians: When life gives you lemons, don’t bring your lemonade stand to our fair state. (Thank you.)