Seasonal Corner Owner Hopes to Sell Business in Off Season

, the garden center on Livernois in Ferndale, is for sale.

Owner Carlotta Cardenas shut down her store for the season, as she normally does, but this time, she put a price tag on it: The building and the business are for sale for $149,000, she said.

She claimed she's not selling it due to the economy, but for city-related reasons.

"I'm selling it 'cause the city wouldn't let me use the island; they shut me down," she said.

Every year, , across from her store, during the sale.

The city said holding the sale in the median could cause issues regarding crossing the streets, and because the median is city property, officials said there are liabilities regarding that as well. The Ferndale City Council permitted a sale in the grassy areas along the sidewalk, as long as the sale didn't block the sidewalk itself.

"The main request that is concerning to me is placing things on the sidewalk," Ferndale Police Chief Tim Collins said during an April City Council meeting at which the Mother's Day sale was discussed. "It's a standard sidewalk. Anything placed on it will hinder the use of the sidewalk, especially for handicapped folks."

Ferndale City Manager April McGrath said she encourages any business to come to City Hall to discuss issues owner may have.

"I encourage business owners to sit down with us and learn about why or what we are asking them to do," she said. "If people are frustrated, I encourage them to talk with us to figure it out."

Cardenas said that if she doesn't sell the business, she'll open it again next season.