PLEASE HELP Save our Small Family Owned Organic Business NOW

My Family and I own a Greener Way Garden Center and Landscaping in Antioch TN.I was advised by a Council member to start this Petition in order to let Mr. Shams know the Community will fight against any rezoning.We signed an automatic renewing lease purchase agreement with Mohamed Reza Shams 10 years ago for the property where our Organic Home and Garden Center is located.We have spent over $100,000.00 in making needed improvements to the property. We first of all had to go through about 3 years of meetings and red tape to get the property rezoned.It had previously been zoned strictly for agriculture which meant we could grow plants but could not sell them.We eventually did get the zoning changed specifically for our type of business.I have been requesting a meeting with Mr. Shams for several years so that we could move forward with the purchase,however Mr, Shams always said it was not a good time and he was not ready to sell. He then comes by a week ago and throws some paper down on our counter and leaves very quickly. He had left a new month to month lease which is increasing our rent by 40% for the first month and has a stipulation that every month thereafter the rent could possibly go up another 103%. I do not have a problem with a fair rent increase on a long term lease, I have a problem with a month to month. He also is not giving us any credit for the money we have already paid over the last 10 years toward the purchase. I called and spoke with him and he says he will not sell to me and he will not give me any of the money back. He now wants to have it zoned for a gas station or some other type of business.We have spent so much money to make the necessary improvements to this property that we can not afford a different property without the refund of money that we have paid him for the last 10 years that was to go toward the purchase. Mr. Shams has told me and other persons many times over the years that I should not be an owner of our family business,that I should just let my Husband and Son take care of the business and I needed to be at home doing my womanly duties. I always just laughed it off but I am not laughing any longer. Mr. Shams told my husband that he has used the improvements we have made to the property in order to take out several additional mortgages and this is the reason he now wants to sell to someone else for more money. I want Mr. Shams to abide by our original agreement that our deposit and 10% of the monthly rent amount would go toward our purchase of the property and to also sell the property to us at the original amount we agreed upon or agree on an amount that is fair to all involved. This new lease, if I were to sign will be effective as of April 1, 2017. Therefore we now have less than 30 days to sell everything and close up our business unless Mr. Shams abides by the original agreement or at least will agree to a long term lease to us.We opened our business in order to offer Safe Organic Lawn and Garden products to our Community in Antioch TN. which is in the Southeast area of Nashville. We have turned down many very lucrative purchase offers from Trugreen Chemlawn and Monsanto over the years because we started our business to teach people to stop using deadly chemicals.We did not start the business to become wealthy and we certainly are not wealthy by any means.We keep our prices as low as possible and certainly less than the big box stores. We started the business because we felt it was something we needed to do to help our community and to try and help save the world from the continued use of lawn and household chemicals.We are not sad only because of the years of hard work and money that we will have lost. We are also very sad that we will not be able to continue teaching people how to have a Healthy Organic Lawn and Garden. Please help us save our small family owned business by signing this petition and demanding that Mr. Shams agree to a reasonable rent increase with a long term lease or to sell the property to us as previously promised. Thank you for your kind consideration.

Update #26 years ago
Thank you to all that signed our Petition. Your support means the world to us. Mr. Shams now seems to be a little more willing to abide by some of our current lease purchase terms. The improvement is all due to your support.It seems he and his attorney are now open to working with our attorney to get this resolved. Thanks again for your support!
Update #17 years ago
We appreciate the support of all that have signed. We are continuing to get more signatures each day. We are hoping to avoid a court battle but our attorneys have all of the documentation needed and are ready to go full speed ahead to a VICTORY!
Thanks again!
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