Editor: Three garage sales in 13 years. We’re a gift and garden accent wholesaler based in Canmore. We don’t sell to the public.
Every couple of years or so, we build up a collection of product samples and other miscellaneous items that are not part of our inventory. So we pull them together and hold a garage sale.
One person’s junk is another person’s treasure. We market this event through the local paper, posters and social media. A random poll of attendees resulted in us understanding that the posters were the most effective way for people to know about our event.
Every time we organize this event, we contact bylaw to make sure we’re following signage regulations. Every time we’re given clear guidelines which we follow (we like rules) and each time our yellow posters were yanked. With every event, we post signs the start day of the event (not before), make notes of where they are and, given the opportunity, we’d pull each and every sign prior to the end of the event.
This year, we were advised that our garage sale and primarily our posters violate the planning and development department guidelines. We promptly called the department and spoke to a coordinator who advised us we were not allowed to market a garage sale as we were operating as a business. Her key point was that we were not allowed to market our business using the posters.
Our business had nothing to do with this. Nowhere on the posters, or any correspondence regarding this event, was our business name mentioned. We held the event in our warehouse which the public has no access to during the course of our business activities and technically is a garage. We were selling off items that have no relevance to our business.
The coordinator could not articulate to us how we differ from other garage sales other than to say that our event was deemed a business venture and her suggestion was that we re-direct the event to a residential garage.
Frankly, this bit of advice was unproductive and alarming as we really didn’t agree that increased traffic though a residential area and past a playground was a good idea. The town makes a signage exception for realtors, who are allowed to post signs to increase the visibility of an open house or sale and door knob hangers marketing window covering or lawn care, where a person has literally trespassed onto private property to market their services. Nothing against any of you operating these kinds of businesses or marketing them this way, but fair is fair …
We feel discriminated against. The posters were important to get people to come to our event (as is any garage sale sign, that’s why we all put so much effort into making them look interesting), and the town pulled them jeopardizing our sales. That’s a fact.
Christine Tivas,
Canmore
