Demak Outdoor Timber & Hardware Ferntree Gully forced to remove popular sign
A Ferntree Gully hardware shop known for its funny nature strip sign was forced to remove it after someone took offence to an innocuous slogan joking about husbands and wives. But the business has had the last laugh.
Outer East
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When someone took offence to a message on a popular Ferntree Gully businesses’ sign, staff were forced to take it down until they got a permit from Knox Council.
But it made a special guest appearance this week when the Year 12 students at St Joseph’s College were about to sit their first exam.
The business came up with a novel way to bring the sign back and wish them well, by putting it on the back of a parked ute.
Demak Outdoor Timber & Hardware owner Michael Trewin said they had been putting an A-frame sign on the nature strip in front of their Brenock Park Drive business since opening in 1998.
Rather than advertising specials, for the past few years staff have been writing funny sayings including ‘Is it time for hot cross buns yet?’ on Boxing Day; ‘Honk if you love Tupperware,’ in a shout out to the nearby business, and ‘We love timber as much as Kanye loves Kanye’.
“Our local community seems to love it because my boys can’t go up to the shop for lunch without the sign being mentioned,” Mr Trewin said.
But a few months ago Mr Trewin said there was a complaint made to the council about the sign.
“It was more about what was written on the sign, they complained to council and council said ‘Well they don’t have a permit’.”
The sign’s message said: ‘My wife said I never listen to her or something like that.’”
“I’m not sure what the issue was, I didn’t think it was that bad, but clearly someone took offence to it, and rather than letting us know that it bothered them they just went straight to the council and complained and unfortunately one person took away from something people have enjoyed – everyone wants to know where the sign is,” Mr Trewin said.
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He said the council told them they could not put the sign out without a permit.
He now has a permit and is making a new sign to fit the council requirements, and it is set to be put back up shortly.
He said he spent a few hundred dollars getting the permit and about $500 making a new sign.
“The response from the community makes it all worthwhile,” Mr Trewin said.
Knox Council referred Knox Leader to its website in relation to questions about the incident.