SKOWHEGAN — The select board Tuesday night rejected a license application for a traveling business that buys jewelry and antiques to set up shop in town.
Even with an ordinance that requires such businesses to provide detailed records of transactions to the police department, and the police chief saying he found no red flags with this company, board members said they still felt uneasy about the application from Cavalier Marketing & Sales.
The owner of the Sutherland, Virginia-based business, meanwhile, said Wednesday morning he was shocked the board would deny him a license, given he has organized similar events in other Maine communities and states without a problem.
“I’ve never had one rejected in Maine or any of the other states,” Phillip Hoylman said via telephone.
Hoylman, listed as the owner of Cavalier Marketing, said he has been in business for years. Virginia records show the LLC was established in 2022.
He said the company travels to different states, sets up for about a week and pays cash for gold, silver, antiques and “anything that has a value.” It’s a “win-win” for customers and the business, he said.
Past venues in Maine, Hoylman said, have been in Portland, Lewiston and Waterville, among other locations. He said he and his staff like traveling to the Northeast because of the “good people.” And they like going to small towns like Skowhegan, he said, because of their demographics and the lack of other options for people to sell their items.
In Skowhegan, the business was planning to set up Aug. 13-18 in a conference room at The Towne Motel on Madison Avenue, according to town records and Hoylman.
He said a reporter’s telephone call Wednesday morning was the first he was hearing of the select board’s decision. Town officials should provide a specific reason for the denial, Hoylman said, adding he may get his attorney involved if needed.
Hoylman added that he and his staff reviewed Skowhegan’s ordinance carefully, as they do in all communities where they want to operate.
The Pawnbrokers and Precious Metals Dealers Ordinance prohibits purchases from minors and requires detailed records that must be kept for each transaction.
The dealer must complete a sworn statement with the name, age, sex and address of each person making a transaction, the day and hour of each transaction and the price paid. They also must photograph each item pawned or exchanged and document a detailed description of each item and their distinguishing marks.
The dealer also needs to have the seller sign a statement of ownership indicating they are authorized to sell the items. The form provided to sellers must indicate that making a false statement on it is a misdemeanor crime.
Before 10 a.m. on the next business day following the transaction, the dealer must bring the sworn statements to Skowhegan’s chief of police. Anything that a dealer buys outright must be kept on site for at least 15 days, unless the police chief releases the items earlier.
No items pawned, traded or purchased can be altered until the police chief has a chance to examine them. A precious metals dealer who determines the precious metals are not listed in an electronic database designed to catalog stolen property may sell or alter the precious metals five business days after the acquisition.
Violations of the ordinance can result in a civil violation with a penalty of up to $250.
Chief David Bucknam of the Skowhegan Police Department told the select board law enforcement agencies tend to scrutinize these kinds of businesses because people may try to sell stolen property, making it challenging to track down, especially if gold or other metals are melted.
Bucknam said the application was the first of its kind he has seen in nine years as chief.
But he said he researched Cavalier Marketing and found no issues that would make him think they would not comply with the law. Bucknam’s only potential concern was that they chose to operate out of a motel, but he recognized that may have been the only option.
“I found nothing that would indicate that they have done anything wrong, anywhere,” Bucknam said.
Select board Chair Kevin Nelson said he was concerned that the business travels around frequently and could be used to take stolen items out of state. He also questioned the safety and security of using space at the motel.
“I’m thinking about the other users of the motel and what impact that might be from a safety perspective,” board member Matthew DuBois said.
The denial was unanimous, with Vice Chair Amber Lambke the third vote against issuing the license.
The two other board members, Elijah Soll and Ethan Liberty, had left the meeting early to attend to personal obligations.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Jake Freudberg can be reached at jfreudberg@centralmaine.com.