SANDWICH SIGN PERMITS: Unfriendly to downtown businesses

Extortion is the bottom line regarding business sandwich board permits. You’ve got to be kidding me? As if the last two years hasn’t been trying enough for business owners? The pamphlet on this matter displays a picture of a sandwich board smack in the middle of a sidewalk. I call BS.

I manage a store downtown (rarely do we put out our sandwich board) so I’m downtown daily and not once in five years have I ever witnessed any business sandwich board in the middle of any sidewalk. They are always placed near the curb. Even ground floor businesses get overlooked so you can bet businesses located above ground floor certainly aren’t acknowledged. How else do you suppose they get recognized. No, not everyone bothers with the drama of social media. Many of these businesses are sought out and also bring more recognition to your precious downtown area that always demands your utmost attention and now you want to criminalize small business owners over sandwich boards? I would imagine our police officers have more important things to devote their attention to besides this nonsense.

I remember a downtown once encouraging small businesses and looking out for our neighbors. Now it seems to have turned into yuppie greed mongers trying to stifle anyone they view as beneath their stuck high in the sky noses. Shame on you for kicking the small guys in the groin as they just try to make a livable wage in what’s become “California Country” politics. Despicable.

MARCIE GILLESPIE

Coeur d’Alene