Is Mama C’s expanding or moving?

The answer depends on several factors

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Carla Hamm knows she’s going to open a Mama C’s Take and Bake in Canton, but whether the original Hillsboro food business will remain open, she’s at a loss to say.

The building where she operates at 111 W. Grand Ave. is rented from George Yang, who has been ordered by the city to repair its leaking roof or the city could repair or raze the building.

The portion of the building with the worst leak is the front, which last housed Quick Flick Video and Radio Shack.

Yang has had repairs done, but the repairs don’t bring the building up to code, city administrator Matt Stiles said. City council members will discuss their next step when they meet again Feb. 7.

Hamm said the leak in her building had caused poor state inspections.

“They’ve been great and patient with me, and they don’t have to be,” Hamm said.

She’s trying to find another location in Hillsboro, but so far she hasn’t been able to find one.

“I hope to stay in Hillsboro, but I’m not going to make that promise,” Hamm said.

In Canton, her new location will be at 125 N. Main St. next to Canton Lockers.

Not only will she sell ready-to-bake food. She also will have a fresh meat counter and a small selection of grocery basics.

“We’re working on it,” she said. “We’re at the point we’re setting up equipment.”

Hamm said she hoped to keep her Hillsboro customer base and operate the Canton business as an expansion.

“My landlord just won’t work with us,” she said. “I love that I get to go help Canton, but I just wish I could find somebody who wanted to help keep a small business here.”

Hamm has other conflicts with her landlord. Panda Property Management, which has a corporate address of 3 Knott Court in Hesston, has filed a petition in court to evict Hamm. The petition claims Hamm is $9,462.47 behind in rent owed to the company and she was given notice Dec. 1 to leave the premises. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1.

After Yang had a company work on the roof, Stiles had the roof inspected by Mahaney Roofing.

The work was deficient, Stiles said Thursday.

“We went over and inspected it while it was raining,” Stiles said. “We went inside, and there was noticeable water coming in.”

Stiles consulted with the city attorney to figure out what the city’s next step ought to be.

“There was some question about what we need to do in terms of notifying him,” Stiles said.

Stiles said Yang gave the city a cell phone number several weeks ago when he showed up at the city office.

“We’re relying on that cell phone to still be active,” Stiles said.

The city would like to help Hamm, but there is a limit to what it can do.

“We started talking with her last spring about potential other locations,” Stiles said. “We’ve tried to find a fit for her. She likes her location, actually. She’d like to stay.”