   |  The Great Chalkboard War of 2008August 26, 2008 at 12:10 am by john
Everyone remembers where they were when the Great Chalkboard War of 2008 broke out....or least we do. I was sitting at the front desk when I turned to Jen and said, "I think some guy just very methodically moved our sidewalk chalkboard sign two inches to the right." What started as a curiosity became a small town battle in sunny, strange Eagle Rock. Now, before continuing, some of you may be wondering what this has to do with wine. Well, it has to do with mom and pop businesses, Los Angeles neighborhoods, and the relationship between the two staying healthy (and yes, it's a short week and September is a notoriously slow month so...humor us). And we were recently reminded of how fragile this relationship can be with the unfortunate demise of Doughboys on 3rd street in Hollywood.
So, back to the war, we would keep our dinky little chalkboard sign on our half of the sidewalk which is approximately 13 feet wide. Well, what began as a surgically precise shift of our sidwalk advertising became a grumble and a swift kick which ultimately left our advertising flat on the ground or facing the store instead of the street every day. Polite confrontations posing questions like "excuse me, sir, why do you do that" and "are you angry at wine?" became pretty heated with quotes like "all you people are only in it for the money!" and "why should I have to walk on the side of the sidewalk! I want to walk down the middle and it's a free country!" In it for the money? Clearly he's never been in retail. To be fair, though you see these types of signs up and down every retail corridor in our city, they are illegal. And soon enough, after a few more run-ins with our friendly neighborhood sign abuser, we received a notice from the city forcing us to remove it from the public sidewalk. And when an employee accidentally put the sign out the following week, our landlords were summoned to appear before the city downtown! Ultimately, we settled with the city over the phone and all was forgiven provided we never EVER spit in the face of justice again by putting out our little chalkboard trying to make our business a little more noticeable. This is a tough year on almost everyone and small businesses need to do whatever they can to get you to stop in. But there is always this push and pull between residents who want services and restaurants nearby their homes, but don't want to deal with the decreased parking and increased noise associated with these businesses. So how can you be heard? Please, oh please, join a neighborhood community group. These issues are on-going and need to be discussed frequently in order to keep people happy in their homes and businesses able to bring in enough money to survive. We're fairly sure many of you won't entirely agree with us and will agree more with the man whom we dubbed "Mr. Very Angry Irish Man", which is why we have the handy comment section below. Please let us know! Leave a comment  Judy G said:As an American currently living in Ireland I would like to apologise on behalf of my adopted homeland. Why I dare you to walk down the sidewalk in any city, town, hamlet or village in this grand country without walking into signs, benches, children, parked cars, etc... that is if they even have a sidewalk. Are you sure he is Irish or one of those "no I'm Irish because my mother's second cousin was conceived in Cobh" types. Well don't let the bastards get ya down... and happy Labor Day!! See you in November! August 28, 2008 7:19 AM Anonymous said:Can't you hang a chalkboard sign above the sidewalk? August 28, 2008 10:39 AM Sharon said:Oh, anonymous, step up to the plate. The AIM will never find you--he's too busy being a curmudgeon. I found your sign very helpful to me--and in fact now, find myself swerving thru traffic, and causing accidents, just to seeing if you are still open. I am in agreement wiht investigating a hanging sign. For real, one made out of brass, which seems to be what AIM's head is made out of. Hmm, migth make a nice noise when hit. August 28, 2008 11:27 AM City Employee Wino said:You can always apply for a Revocable Permit from the Bureau of Engineering to allow the sign in the sidewalk. August 28, 2008 12:24 PM Nicole W. said:So sorry to hear about the sign drama! I love your business. As an aspiring wine snob (I have a -very- long way to go), I have found in Colorado Wine Company a wonderful environment for tasting and learning about new wines. And no one there ever laughs at me when my obvious ignorance of wine shines through. :) It's really one of those special places that are seen in movies, read about in books, frequented by TV characters, but are much harder to come by in real life. So, for my part, I'm going to resolve to stop in more often, and leave with more bottles. As for the AIM...he doesn't know what he's missing! August 28, 2008 12:33 PM Down with King George said:I'd like to know who this mystery employee is who put that sign back out there. Perhaps he's really to blame for stoking these winds of war, perhaps he has some secret axe to grind with this nice Irish fellow, an ax to grind to the tune of hundreds of years of cultural animosity between his home and the beloved Emerald Isle. August 28, 2008 3:34 PM kyria said:oo-oo this made me so mad! it has driven me to drink, wine of course, and see red, perhaps some of your delightfully quirky and amazingly priced three thieves..... August 28, 2008 4:00 PM Josh said:I love the sign...with his witty phrases and lovely pictures of wine and happiness :^) It saddens me to know his bright and dusty face will never again grace the sidewalks of Colorado Blvd. Tonight I shall raise a glass in his memory, and shed a silent tear for our loss!! August 28, 2008 10:45 PM Mercy Azarcon said:So that's what happened to the sign. How odd! I always had used the little sign as a way to know exactly where your shop is. I know, I know, I should know where you are by now but it always helped to have that friendly chalkboard reminder. I just can't fathom how the sidewalk isn't big enough for people and a sign. I probably could drive my car on the sidewalk. Sheesh. I think the hanging sign is a great idea. I love those drawings and will miss them. Thanks for fighting the good fight. Wine is so much sweeter that it comes from a cool shop like yours. August 29, 2008 2:02 PM Lah said:I'm surprised you hadn't had a run-in with any of the more "eccentric" Eagle Rock residents before. For some reason, city codes, rules and regulations in Eagle Rock are zealously enforced by its "good citizens". That's one reason I moved to Silver Lake! But Kudos to you for keeping your good humor during this silly squabble. Wine truly can keep one's temperment even-keeled! August 29, 2008 3:53 PM Paul J. said:The Coffee Table Lounge just up the street has a chalkboard in front of it. What's up with that? Methinks C-O-N spiracy. Same folks who dreamed up Sarah Palin and forever tarnished the name MILF... September 3, 2008 1:32 PM Buy a billboard instead said:Sarah Palin is kind of hot in a David Lee Roth "Hot For Teacher" kind of way. September 5, 2008 7:20 PM Abby Bettencourt said:Nice. You've managed to insert Sarah Palin-bashing into a topic that has nothing to do with her. You haters out there are starting to look desperate. September 9, 2008 12:20 AM B said:F* em! My little chalkboard sign on the sidewalk has brought thousands of people in over the last 4.5 years! Morons should walk around it, and for the assclown that reported the sign to the city, I've got something for you. Come 'n' get it. December 16, 2008 2:48 PM |
Wow, Wow... Unbelievable. It's no wonder though, name two good Irish wines. Name one. There you go. It's all about the whisky with those people and I can say that being 1/4 Irish. Fortunately, I discovered the pleasures of the vine, mostly thanks to you guys, and have sworn off whisky due to its ill effects on my otherwise patrician demeanor. I've got an idea, why don't you lower the sign to eye level and craft it from clear latex so he'll walk right into it.
August 27, 2008 6:25 PM