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The owners of Bella Princess and La Bella Cafe say they are being forced to close their Verona location after the township rescinded a permit which it had issued in 2023, despite what they describe as two-and-a-half years of operation without incident.
Martha Peralta and Karissa Teixeira, a mother-daughter team who own a women- and Latina-owned business, said the Verona Board of Adjustment denied their appeal and ordered them to close their doors. The company offered packages for people to hold parties and events at their location.
The owners said the township’s decision came after an unrelated incident at a different venue, though they had no complaints against their own business.
“Without any fault of our own, without a single complaint against us, they rescinded our valid permit,” Peralta said in a social media post. She added that the board told her that her only option would be to apply for a use variance, which could be time-consuming and expensive.
The business, which offers princess-themed entertainment and parties, has operated for more than 20 years. The owners said they invested their life savings to build their Verona facility after receiving township approval.
“I feel that it’s unjust that they can go ahead and just pull a permit, a valid permit for any company, for any small business really that has been working according to that permit and doing everything by the books ... and make that void and null and basically not even give us a day,” Peralta told NJ.com.
During a July 9 board of adjustment meeting, Peralta and Anthony Bocchi, her attorney, argued that the space does not qualify as an “event space” since it does not simply rent out a room; the packages it offers are part of the entertainment.
Bocchi argued that the building’s use complies with a variance issued in 2020 because the business provides entertainment services rather than simply renting space.
“The service that is provided is you’re coming to the space and there are professionals there who run a party as princesses and the like,” Bocchi said.
However, the board concluded that the business violated the approved uses of buildings in the town center because it offers to host private events such as birthdays, baby showers, and office gatherings. Those uses are retail use, retail service use, and personal service use. The board voted 6-1 to deny the appeal.
The township released a statement after public backlash over the board of adjustment’s decision.
“Verona Township has a legal obligation to administer and enforce its zoning ordinances fairly and consistently for all property owners and businesses,” the township said. “While we understand this matter has prompted strong feelings, we ask that all discussions remain respectful.”
Teixeira said the sudden closure had immediate consequences. Although the business can still offer off-site entertainment services, birthday parties that children had anticipated for months were canceled, and in-house staff lost their jobs. She said she is also dealing with a high-risk pregnancy while trying to manage the situation.
Teixeira said some staff were able to be retained because the business manages off-site events but “all of our in-house staff from one day to the next are totally without jobs.”
The business is currently looking for temporary locations.
“We are diligently working and looking at temporary venues,” Teixeira said. “Places have offered their spaces where they’re either a cafe or an event space in other towns so we could transfer those clients, so we don’t disappoint and break a little girl’s heart in canceling her birthday party last minute, which is what I guess Verona expected us to do, and make sure we continue to keep our promise to make their birthday party dreams come true.
“And then once we get all of that taken care of, we of course will worry about us and looking for the new space.”
The board of adjustment recommended that Peralta and Teixeira apply for variance, but they said that the potential cost of doing so was far too high.
“This was not our error. This is not something we did wrong,” Teixeira said. “No violations, no complaints. So for us to now have to go even further, a financial burden, we just don’t feel it’s fair.”
The owners said they are searching for a new location in the Morristown and Essex County areas. Casa Flora from Bloomfield has offered temporary space to help relocate some booked events.
Since sharing their story publicly, the owners said they had received hundreds of supportive comments and messages from other Verona businesses reporting similar experiences with the township. The business continues to offer off-site entertainment services while seeking a permanent location.
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