A mobile vendor says the City of Penticton was on board with her operation until just recently, when changes were made to mobile vendor licensing.

Tracey Lloyd's Chic Mobile Boutique sells clothing out of an old FedEx truck, which she says is blazing trails in a new kind of mobile vending.

Similar operations run in California, and when Lloyd contacted the city, she was told to make sure city hall would approve non-food mobile vendors, as it had caused difficulties down south.

"So I gave them a call in Penticton, and they said, 'Yeah, we have a mobile vending permit, it's perfect, it sounds like a great idea, I've never heard of it before, but what a great addition to the city,'" Lloyd said. "She said, 'Just check with the girls at parks and rec when you're ready, they'll help you with the paperwork and you'll be on your way.'

"A year later, and $50,000 later, we had the truck, went to parks and rec, and they said, 'Yeah, no it's only for food trucks,'" she said.

When she told city staff she had been given the green light before, they told her the rules had changed just a few months before.

"So now I'm trying my best to try and get it changed so we can actually have the same opportunities as a food truck, so that I can park at the convention centre and park at Skaha Beach and all the beaches and parks," she said. "Right now, I have a business licence, but I'm not allowed to park anywhere in town."

That came to a head at a city council meeting, when staff recommended that council leave mobile vendor permits as they are, to allow bricks and mortar clothing stores to keep up their businesses without cheaper mobile competitors.

However, councillors were largely defiant, saying there wasn't any information on how mobile vendors would actually affect other businesses, noting that food trucks haven't brought down restaurants in town.

Council ordered staff to devise a pilot program and gather data on its effects.