Mobile merchants have had a bumpy road in Chicago. The detours and roadblocks started nearly five years ago at City Hall for Ravenswood photographer and art dealer Juana Ryan, but she never considered packing up and driving away with her gallery on wheels.

“I love Chicago,” she says. “I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Most street vendors in the city share Ryan’s hometown affection. They take pride in growing the Chicago economy and contributing to vibrant pedestrian districts. On Jan. 8, a City Council committee will have the opportunity to return the love when it considers reforms that Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed shortly after taking office.

Among other concessions in the proposed ordinance, Ryan welcomes the prospect of permanent, legal status for her boutique, StellaLily. She currently operates with just a two-year, nonrenewable emerging business permit, which the city has extended for short stretches twice.

The uncertainty leaves Ryan exposed to regulatory whims. “This permit hanging over my head has dampened my enthusiasm,” she says. “I want to be legit.”

Read more at Crain's Chicago Business