DALLAS, Ga. – At least 200 family-run businesses scrambled to find new locations after the city of Dallas ordered a popular shopping destination shut down.
The Dallas Markets opened two years ago in a Paulding County-area warehouse. Shoppers flocked to enjoy an impressive variety of locally designed arts and crafts, food trucks, even live entertainment, all in one place.
For many of the vendors, the upcoming holiday shopping season was to be their most successful time of the year.
Then Dallas Markets owner Andrew Rodriguez started building his bunker.
“Nobody could go in the back because he was keeping it a secret,” said Craig Stark, one of the displaced vendors. “Everybody was whispering, what’s going on? What’s going on?”
City officials suspended the business license for the Dallas Markets after the owner built this without any permits. His architect warned the city of possible danger to the public, insisting he had no idea a bunker was being constructed.
The Dallas Fire Marshal had the same questions. What was that weird structure going up in Building Three near the main Dallas Markets location? What’s with all the shipping containers stacked on top?
And why didn’t anyone pull the proper permits?
“We were very surprised as to the extent of what was going on,” said city attorney Darrin Keaton.
Eatgrueldog 