So the new guidance from the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency says that resellers of children's toys, clothes and other gear do not have to test for lead, though it is still illegal for them to sell products with lead. See my story here which focused mostly on the resale market. And of course some past blog posts here.

Still, the rules aren't any relief for small businesses, including lots of local crafty moms who make hair bows, T-shirts and other items for kids. As it stands, they'll still have to test their products.

I spoke with Mary Fulkerson of bella.jane.originals yesterday and she's wondering if she can continue her business. And I'm hearing from more local business owners this morning. One pointed out this Web site: nationalbankruptcyday.com.

I did check in with somebody who does the testing this week. Scott Minyard of Environmental Testing Services in Raleigh said it would cost about $75 to $150 an hour to scan items for lead with an XRF machine. He said it takes about 20 seconds to scan an item. But I know lots of you have hundreds of individual items in stock.

If you run a local business, please share how this is going to effect you. Just make sure you're registered and logged in to the site and then post your comment in the box below (if you don't see it, you're not logged in). You can always e-mail me too. But I think people would love to hear directly from you.