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A downtown Nicholasville business has been devoid of commercial activity the past two months.

After an inspection by the Nicholasville Fire Marshall in April, Coach Light Antiques, located at 213 North Main St., was condemned for four structural code and four electrical code violations.

“During a required inspection of the facility from the fire marshall, it was noticed that there were some structural concerns on load-bearing walls. That’s what initiated the research into the building itself,” Doug Blackford, the Public Information Officer for the City of Nicholasville said.

The inspection was conducted after a complaint about falling or missing bricks from the back of the building.

After the city contacted the business owner, the owner said they had no intention of having a structural engineer review the building due to its age. The building was then posted as condemned on April 20 and the occupants were given the notice to leave.

The next day the occupants complained that they could not retrieve their belongings from the store. The building owner was given a letter that allowed ten days for the removal of belongings, but the occupants were not told this by the building owners.

Upon further inspection, it was found that an electrician was conducting work on-site but there were no electrical permits pulled for work on the building. There had been no repairs to a portion of the brick, and the electric work that had been done was not up to code. The property owner then indicated he would pursue a demolition permit.

“The owner visited the things the city wrote up and decided he did not want to pursue any repairs,” Blackford said. “When that was done, our notice had become to close the facility due to safety issues”.

According to the city of Nicholasville’s website, “It is not our desire to see a beloved business close its doors but it is our responsibility that if it remains open it does so safely”.

A May 11 post on the antique shop’s Facebook page said that repairs are being made with the hope that “this step forward is good with the powers that be.”