Vancouver bar owner decides to close, says state put her in an impossible position with COVID-19 rules

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    VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) — A Vancouver bar owner is voluntarily closing her doors after receiving two written warnings from the state about COVID-19 and mask-enforcement rules.

She said the state has put her in an impossible position and that she has no other choice.

“In order to save my business and my employees jobs I decided to shut it down, which was a really hard decision,” Janelle Shadley, who has owned Tip Top Too Tavern for more than a decade, said.

Since June, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board has investigated seven COVID-19 complaints at the bar, and in recent weeks, issued two written warnings.

One in July cites customers not wearing masks and not social distancing. The other one in August cites a bartender and customer not wearing masks, as well as the customer sitting at the bar when she shouldn’t be and a woman walking from a table without a mask.

“I can’t guarantee that one person isn’t gonna get up and forget to pull up their mask,” Shadley said. “It’s completely impossible, because if you stand in any one establishment you will see a violation, somebody will forget.”

Shadley said she’s done everything she can to follow the rules.

“I have tried 100 percent, I have given it my everything and I feel like I’m being targeted,” Shadley said.

In an email, a spokesperson for the liquor control board said officers don’t have the time or inclination to nitpick, that Tip Top has the second highest number of complaints in Vancouver, and that the board follows up on complaints and is there to educate and ensure compliance.

Shadley said there’s no way to ensure she wouldn’t face further warnings or penalties, so she’s left with no other choice.

“It’s a no win situation,” Shadley said. “I can’t have my license in jeopardy or a big fine that I can’t afford to pay.”

Shadley said she thinks individuals should be held responsible for their actions instead of this all falling on business owners.

Statewide data shows the board has received more than 3,600 COVID-19 complaints, with nearly 65 percent of those being about mask enforcement.

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