Several comments in the article preceding called attention to the old Reisz Furniture building, which has been used for many years as a warehouse for Schmitt Furniture.
For the benefit of those reading from afar, here’s the Reisz building, first looking roughly toward the southeast ...
... then a frontal view. On the window to the right is a hand-lettered sign touting “pre-owned furniture for sale” and a non-local telephone number.
That’s probably because New Albany’s new pre-used “furniture corner” is at the southern side of the intersection of Bank and Main Streets, just one building removed from Reisz.
Okay, so it isn’t what Paul Wheatley has in mind, at least yet. The white-bottomed used furniture store at left was an upholstery shop until last winter, and the "open" one to the right was a drug store very long ago.
As I prepared to take this picture, a young man walked out of the shop to the right, saw me with camera poised, and rushed back inside as though my shirt said Channel 32 and not Rich O's Public House.
Perhaps he's one of those who can't afford our "$8" pints.
"Hysterical society"?
ReplyDeleteIf all your recent predictions hadn't been on the mark, I'd probably scold you for that. You're the one that ought to be blogging.
When I passed by the aforementioned former upholstery shop yesterday, a New Albany High School driver's ed car was parked outside and someone was examining the goods stacked out on the sidewalk.
Hmmm.
I had the camera with me, but refrained, because I'm a longtime friend of education.
I will admit that it's hard to make a case that all this furniture being hawked on the street is any tackier than the city's fast food restaurants or Schmitt's decaying Reisz annex, but it seems strictly Third World to me.
My husband commented on the pile of junk that's accumulating behind the furniture store, too.
ReplyDeleteThe guy that has the used furniture store in the old New Albany Apothecary bldg makes various appearances sporadically through town. He's the one who got into trouble with Planning & Zoning for operating the business illegally up on Spring Street, right as you come into New Albany from Clarksville, where the new pet store is now.
See, here's the thing. I think there are restictions on signage in the historic district, and I also think there are restrictions on sidewalk displays. I know piles of junk are illegal. I can't begin to imagine that the used or new furniture businesses are in compliance (and these two businesses are just examples, I'm not picking on them). Also, I see mattresses for sale out in front of the used furn. store. Isn't it illegal to sell used mattresses? That's what the Salvation Army told me when I tried to donate one to them.
Is anyone in charge watching these people? Informing them of the requirements? Mayor Garner? Shane Gibson? Health Department? Building Commissioner? Planning and Zoning?
My experience has been that if you make a complaint, you'll get bounced from one department to another, and each one will tell you either 1) it's not their responsibility 2) it is, but there's not enough money/people to do anything or 3) even though it says in the ordinance book that it's not permitted, we don't enforce that ordinance.