The Old Port House of Jerky, 13 Exchange Street, Portland Remains Open Without Business License.

Joe Soley, 82, A Major Property Owner in the Old Port.

By Carol McCracken  (Post # 2,123)

The City has said in several email responses to mhn.com that it is working with the Old Port House of Jerky to resolve the issues that have prevented it from opening its Old Port store legally – without an approved business license.  The store opened its jerky business at least as of Thursday, May 22nd and remains open through today.  The business is located at 13 Exchange Street and formerly was the Mornings in Paris coffee shop.  The building  is owned by Joe Soley who has butted heads with city officials on a number of occasions involving his extensive properties in the popular Old Port.

As mhn.com has reported previously herein, on April 23, 2014, the co-owners of the jerky business applied for a business license at the city clerk’s office at the Portland City Hall.  The business license was never granted.  The reason given was that there are outstanding fire safety issues in the store and in apartment buildings above the business.  Property that is owned by Soley. Additionally, the applicant has never been inspected by the Department of  Agriculture, Augusta, a requirement for business license approval. There are several other less serious requirements that the applicant has not taken care of according to the clerk’s office.

Several vague emails received by mhn.com from different city officials have basically said we are working on the matter with the business owners to come to a positive resolution of this.  It begs questions like:  Is Soley being held accountable for his landlord responsibility to rent space that is truly and really ready for occupancy?  Are the two business owners being held accountable for state inspections not done and other matters?

MHN.com would sure like to know, but the city isn’t talking!

For more background information, please see Posts # 2,103 and Post # 1,996 herein.