Community support saves Little Market Box on 20 St. with funds to pay fine

The owner of The Little Market Box and Those Girls at the Market was fighting to stay afloat after receiving an “astronomical fine.” Now she will keep her doors open thanks to hundreds of community members coming together to help her raise the funds.

“I’m speechless,” Julianna Tan said of the support for her Riversdale business.“It was a very shocking and very scary thing to be facing, and it had the potential to change the structure of my entire life.”

Last year, Tan received a court imposed fine of over $18,000 for not having an active business license, Tan said the process became more complicated when communication from the city was delivered to an outdated address.

At the time, the shop owner said she feared she would have to close her doors for good after her small business received the fine and explained she could’ve faced jail time if it wasn’t paid.

Julianna Tan is thankful to everyone who helped her keep her two businesses afloat. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

However, Tan said the community came together in a matter of weeks and helped raise just enough to cover the fine through various fundraisers such as a GoFundMe page and a silent auction.

Tan and her team also created a community care fundraiser to give back while supporting efforts to pay the fine.

“We’re kind of face to face with that increase in homelessness and drug use of people who are really struggling on the street, and we face it every day,” she said.

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Through this initiative, people could purchase essential items like feminine hygiene products, mitts, socks, bottled water and hand warmers for those in need. Many of these items were donated by the community.

The proceeds helped ensure supplies reached those who needed them the most and also helped contribute to the shop’s fundraising goals.

Tan said community support has pushed her to continue serving her neighbourhood, local food producers, artists and vendors who use her shop.

“We feel kind of re-energized. We feel supported. We feel a very strong sense of community. And if there’s been anything in my entire life to help me understand what it means to be a community.

“In my eyes, small local businesses are what really helped shape the culture of a city,” she said.

“These people who are the owners of small local businesses are our friends, these are our family, these are our neighbors, these are people directly in our community.”

Tan said she contacted a lawyer and filed a notice of appeal against the court decision. She said any funds raised beyond the amount of the find would be used to cover legal fees and to better understand the situation.

Tan said she plans to advocate for changes to prevent similar issues from affecting other businesses in the future.