Young Aussie 'icon' returns after controversial council ban
Jesse won the hearts of Sydney's east last year with his entrepreneurial talent but his business came to an abrupt end after a decision from Randwick council.
A young Aussie entrepreneur who was shut down by council last year has reappeared on the same famous coastal path in Sydney, to the delight of the community.
Local Jesse was controversially told to shut up shop after he began selling cold drinks, snacks and sunscreen out of a small tent at the Coogee end of the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk.
Randwick Council said in October Jesse was breaching commercial operation restrictions on public land. There was huge community support for 12-year-old Jesse at the time, who had gained thousands of signatures in a bid to stay open.
And now five months after his operation's closure, he has reappeared on the same path, several hundred metres away at Gordons Bay. A photo of Jesse's stall was shared to Facebook on Saturday where he was labelled a "national treasure".
"Eastern suburbs icon," one person wrote. "Long live Jesse's shop," another said.
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"This kid has a big future," one user said, suggesting Jesse had been operating for weeks at the location.
Many praised Jesse for his reasonable prices, "knowing his market" and now the ability to take card payments.
Mum explains Jesse's return
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia on Saturday, Jesse's mum Catherine said her son had adopted a new, "mobile" tactic where he would not stay in the same location for long.
"It's been a mixed response... some rangers are OK with it but some have asked him to move on," she said, adding she's asked Jesse to cut down on the time he spends selling his goods.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted Randwick Council over Jesse's renewed operation, who said further information on the matter would be available next week.
Yahoo understands Jesse's previous rejected application to operate on the path was appealed.
Catherine previously told Yahoo Jesse's interest in business started five years ago with a lemonade stand in Coogee and that complaints over Jesse's expanded store had come from a minority of older residents in the area.
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