It seems like another Fredericksburg small business owner closes down almost every week. Sadly, it’s probably more often than that.

We just found out that The Cropper’s Corner in Central Park is closing soon. They are having a huge inventory and fixture liquidation sale.

Today my wife and I headed over to BC Cafe on Route 3 by K-Mart, only to see a big “closed” sign in their window. They are selling the entire business and/or equipment.

I’m sad to see any small business owner going under. We’re all in this together, and we should do what we can to support one another. Perhaps if I had ordered a few more sandwiches and coffee at BC Cafe, they’d still be open today.

The ripple effect of small businesses closing is empty commercial storefront and office space. That hurts the real estate people around town, who end up having to raise rent for other businesses. It’s a nasty spiral that doesn’t help anyone.

Photo by bluecinderella

Did you know that panhandling is illegal in Fredericksburg? But up until last week, it was only illegal for certain people.

According to The Free Lance-Star the original version of Fredericksburg’s panhandling law outlawed the activity, but it contained an exception for the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad. The squad conducts a fund raiser on Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg. So when the city wanted to get indigent beggars off the street, they simply included an exception to allow the rescue squad to continue its fund raisers.

But this possibly violates the First Amendment. I’m surprised the Fredericksburg City Attorney let the original law even make it to a vote. Governments can pass time, place, and manner restrictions on free speech, but they cannot make willy nilly exceptions to allow favored groups to bypass those restrictions.

I wonder if a lawyer threatened to sue Fredericksburg over the original law. It might not have been a slam dunk case, but there were definitely some constitutional problems.

The interesting thing in this matter is that Fredericksburg never seemed to consider simply repealing the law. It looks like outlawing panhandling is more important to Fredericksburg than helping out the rescue squad.

As a public service to the people of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and Stafford County, I am planning a free course on basic legal issues that entrepreneurs face. I’d love your input during the planning process.

The basic idea is to start with a one-hour session that provides an overview of topics. If people are interested in the concept, I can provide other courses in the future, based on what interests attendees the most.

The courses will be free to anyone who wants to attend. I really see this as a great way to help out the citizens of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County. Hiring your own attorney can be prohibitively expensive sometimes. So a free law course can help highlight some issues that you need to be aware of as an entrepreneur.

If you have any thoughts or ideas for what you’d like covered in an entrepreneur’s law class, let me know. Feel free to post a comment below or email me at aflusche@gmail.com.

Also, if you would like to be notified when I actually schedule the session, post a comment or email me. I definitely want as many people to benefit from this class as possible.

Photo by Gabe Mulley

Update – Aug 2, 2008 – Sadly, BC Cafe is now closed.

Are you looking for a place in Fredericksburg to stop for a sandwich and a cup of coffee? Maybe you’d like a great breakfast place for a tasty bagel. BC Cafe has you covered!

Located next to K-Mart on Route 3 West, BC Cafe is run by Stacie and Derick. They only opened last year, and they already have a loyal customer base. It’s no surprise, since they have a great variety of tasty food, snacks, and beverages.

My two favorites are the chicken salad sandwich and the princess smoothie. Yes, I like a smoothie named “princess.” If you try it, you’ll probably like it as well.

One of the things I like best about this place is the incredible value. Two people can get a full meal for under $15, and it’s not fast food. It’s hard to beat that in the Fredericksburg area.

You can find BC Cafe on Route 3 West, at this address:

3631 Plank Rd
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
(540) 548-0599

Photo by ellipse

Part of what I hope to do on this website is highlight other local Fredericksburg area businesses. Starting my own solo law firm has given me a renewed respect for local entrepreneurs.

Since I’m a coffee lover, I like to try the coffee shops around Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties. Tickers Coffee is one of my favorites so far. Pablo Cuadrado runs Tickers, where he is competing against Starbucks in the Westood Shopping Center.

Pablo brews some great coffee over at Tickers. He serves a full line of espresso-based drinks, as well as all-natural fruit smoothies. I particularly enjoy his sandwiches, such as the “T Bill” (turkey).

If you’re looking for a tasty beverage around West Fredericksburg, stop in at Tickers. Pablo will certainly treat you right and satisfy that caffeine craving.

Do you know any great coffee shops in Fredericksburg, Stafford, or Spotsylvania County?

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Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi / The Free Lance-Star

Did you know that the Fredericksburg City Council is considering an important residential zoning change?

There is a public hearing on March 25 that all property owners and residents of Fredericksburg should attend. This isn’t a small matter.

I admittedly haven’t followed this issue very closely, since I rent in Spotsylvania County. But the proposed change would limit what residential property owners can build on their property. Proponents claim the zoning change is needed to preserve Fredericksburg’s historic character. I would argue that the market should remain largely free and open. And isn’t property more valuable if you can do more with it?

For some great coverage of this issue, check out In the ‘Burg. Bryan has three beefy articles on the proposed zoning changes:

• Does Out-Of-Scale equal “out of character”
• City Zoning Update
• Home size/lot coverage zoning

Did I mention that you should attend the March 25 hearing?