Owners of a Thurston County car repair shop said people are threatening to boycott their business because of a billboard above their building that reads “Get Weed.”
The sign sits above Integrity Car Care on Black Lake Boulevard Southwest, but the automotive business has no control over what the billboard says.
Currently, the sign promotes Bud Commander, a Tumwater cannabis shop.
"Promotion and provocation of drugs has its costs. Yeah, OK, we repair cars,” owner Randy Fox said.
Owners Randy and Robert Fox read KIRO 7 an anonymous letter they got in the mail from a self-proclaimed "Concerned Black Lake resident" who's circulating a petition to boycott the business because of the billboard.
“I just felt kind of threatened,” Robert said.
The writer of the message goes on to say he/she has gathered 75 signatures from "unhappy residents and concerned parents."
“I don't understand why they couldn't call me, why they couldn't walk in and talk to me about it,” Randy said.
Randy and Robert were shocked by the letter. They've been in business in Tumwater for 13 years.
"As far as we know, we have a good name in this community. We do good work, we're honest people,” Robert said.
They rent the building and don't have control over the billboard, including what it says.
"It's just another billboard, another advertisement,” said resident Amber Kerr.
David Moore owns Bud Commander.
He said he’s used to cannabis critics. He’s not happy people are taking out their concerns on an unaffiliated car repair shop.
“That’s unfortunate people are going to take it out on whoever they can get to listen to them,” he said. “I’m wanting to be a successful business and be treated with the respect of any other business and, in return, treat other businesses and the community with respect.”
The billboard above Integrity Car Care is owned by Lamar Advertising. It is changed about once a month.
Moore said he will have the billboard relocated if it continues to cause problems.
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