The City of Greer has completed a 60-day review of smoke and vape shops within city limits, working with business owners to address violations of city signage and lighting regulations.
Concerns regarding these businesses were first raised in March by Greer City Council member Karuiam Booker. Booker argued that the city’s existing regulations were too lenient and that some shops were violating city ordinances governing signage and lighting.
“In District 2, my constituents have voiced how they would like their community to look, and this was not how they wanted that community to look,” Booker said. “So, our staff have taken measures to create a community that we all can enjoy and take pride in.”
City staff conducted a 60-day review of smoke and vape shops, identifying 15 total businesses within Greer city limits. Of those, 12 were initially found to be out of compliance with city signage and lighting regulations.
The most common violations included unapproved rope lighting, color-changing digital signs and excessive advertising signage on the building facades. By the end of the review, 12 of the 15 shops were in compliance, leaving three with outstanding violations.
“A lot of it was just education with business owners, because they didn’t know that these things weren’t allowed,” Booker said. “We still have some work to do with a few of the businesses, but at least the majority of it has been corrected on their end.”
He added: “I encourage anyone to drive down Highway 29 — you can see a noticeable difference between what was there before and what is there currently. I’m very pleased with the product that we have.”
The remaining three shops will have another 60 days to come into compliance. After that period, Booker said the city will begin using its code compliance enforcement procedures if violations remain.
GreerNews will continue to follow this story as it develops.
