Village now tells Lake in the Hills bakery not to host any more entertainment events
The village of Lake in the Hills is prohibiting Uprising Bakery and Cafe - forced to close and cancel a drag show a week earlier after the business was vandalized, including with slurs - from hosting any more events.
According to a letter from the village's attorney, the business center where the bakery is housed is not zoned for entertainment events, and if the owner continues to host them, it says she will face a hefty fine and her business's liquor license could be revoked, ABC 7 Chicago reported.
Corinna Sac questioned the timing of the village's decision.
"It's just when we added something that was LGBTQ, and stuff like that, that it caused an uproar," Sac said. "I'm outraged."
The bakery was scheduled to host a Disney Karaoke night on Saturday, ABC 7 reported, but it canceled the event after Sac received the letter Thursday.
The village released a statement in which it said its action was more about zoning than the nature of any events, as well as the police resources required in light of protests that surrounded the previous week's drag show.
"This issue is about a business conducting activities it was never permitted to conduct," the statement said. "While the potential revenue from these entertainment events may be attractive to the business owner, the village is seeking compliance with its zoning regulations."
Sac said in a video posted Saturday on the business's Facebook page that the revenue from the events Uprising hosts is essential to meeting expenses, including payroll, rent and taxes.
"Ms. Sac stated she now sees the potential revenue from these entertainment events as being essential to her business," the village's statement said. "She was clear that her intent was to continue offering entertainment on a more frequent and extended basis. Her acknowledgement of this change to her business model has required the Village to consider the zoning concerns, as the operation of an entertainment business is not a permitted use at that location."
The village said it has received complaints from the property owner, other tenants and nearby residents about loss of business, parking issues, safety concerns and zoning violations. It said it has attempted to speak to Sac and reached out to her through her attorney.
"We've been holding events pretty much since the day that we've opened" in November, Sac said on the Facebook video. She said the village had not raised the resources or zoning issue before.
Several Lake in the Hills village trustees and the village president, Ray Bogdanowski, stopped by last weekend to show support for the business, Sac said earlier in the week.
"We are working with our attorneys," Sac told ABC 7 Chicago. "So, hopefully with their guidance, their help, and support, we can find a path forward."