06/17/2025
🚨 ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: Is the Town of Cameron Actively Targeting Small Business??
This is a long one but please take the time to read!
Even before we opened our restaurant in June 2024, we faced interference from the Town of Cameron government and the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). It started when we were almost forced to delay replacing a 20+ year-old air conditioning unit. Although county and town approvals had been granted as part of the original updates required, they tried to stop the replacement by demanding an additional design approval and permit for a unit that had existed for decades. This approval would have been granted at a board meeting scheduled weeks after our advertised grand opening.
Then they declared us a Historic Landmark (Building was built in 1920). Since that moment, we’ve received almost monthly letters threatening $100/day fines over petty and arbitrary issues: A sandwich board placed out only on dinner nights, A decorative box to cover an outdoor kitchen hood—which we permitted after they issued a stop order. They demanded a finished design picture and a sample of the wood and shingle to approve before the build, to make sure it would meet historic standards, although there is a document that clearly outlines these requirements that the design and materials followed. Most recently, a fine threat over an antique sign temporary hanging out front which is for sale as part of our merchandise.
These are just a few examples of an ongoing campaign.
We even received a personal threat to our ability to do business. The Town Clerk asked us directly: “What are y’all going to do when the church goes under, and the town buys the parking lot? Where are you going to park people?”
We currently have a written agreement for shared use of the parking lot owned by the Church, so that comment felt like a direct warning. A signal of what more is coming. Are we wrong to be offended?
We will continue to improve the building, we have paid the $150 fee each 90 days to make repairs and maintain the building; Yes we have had to pay and get permission to paint, repair windows, repair crumbling window sashes, remove dead landscaping and making sure any plants selected “meet historic requirements (really??). As a building owner, shouldn’t it be our right to do these things as long as they meet the guidelines clearly published by the town and historic committee (all 50+ pages).
Instead of supporting local entrepreneurs, they’ve worked overtime to delay, fine, and block efforts to improve this town. All the while, buildings around town sit crumbling and untouched—posing real safety hazards—but there’s no effort, no urgency to fix those.
The Town of Cameron itself owns the old service station directly across the street from us. It’s been sitting in decay for years with no improvements made and the infrastructure continues to crumble.
👉 Are they fining themselves $100 a day? Or are these fines reserved only for selected businesses and a few selected homeowners who are trying to restore and uplift this town?
We’re not the only ones:
The owner of the 1878 Bed & Breakfast has faced a long, public negotiation with Town of Cameron leadership. Most recently, she proposed a hydroponics facility behind her house—minimally visible from the street—to support her B&B and supply local restaurants with fresh produce. Not only did this face resistance, she paid the $150 fee to be denied—the town shut the project down entirely. During an official planning board hearings, a board member told her: “You bought the wrong house in the wrong town.”
The owner is a military veteran, a black woman and the first person to open a B&B in Cameron’s historic district. That comment wasn’t just offensive—it had strongly prejudicial undertones. Is there a bias at play within this town’s government?? Both owners being strongly targeted are veterans, women, and one is black one is white. There have been other home and business owners that have shared experiences with us about threats and inconsistencies they see of who is being targeted with retribution.
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đź—Ł WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU:
1. Share this post to help raise awareness
2. Call the Town of Cameron: (910) 245-3212 -Let them know you support fairness, transparency, and small businesses
3. Stand up for local business—because if they can do this to us, they can do it to anyone
We’re not just standing up for ourselves—we’re standing up for every person trying to bring life and energy back to this town. We have decided we will no longer be threatened and silent.
It’s time for transparency. It’s time for accountability and it is time to stop the targeting.
