Doughvine Bakehouse sparked controversy in January with its outdoor signs.
It all started with a bold red spray-painted sign that read “Closed” — and led to a sign that neighbours say was vitriolic toward women.
Initially, the problem was with the unattractive spray paint, which goes against town bylaws.
“You will see this is not a ‘grey area’ about artistic integrity,” said the neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution.
The town issued a 72-hour notice to the owner on Jan. 16 to remove it, said fire chief Jay Plato. It was issued because the shop violated the sign bylaw, said the town’s communications co-ordinator Marah Minor.
On Jan. 18, the shop owners emailed the town confirming the spray-painted sign was removed and replaced, said Plato.
The sign was then replaced with a sign calling out the landlord and local residents, including shockingly offensive remarks about women, the neighbour said.
It read, in all caps, “We’re sorry, due to circumstances beyond our control relating to our landlords and the city of Niagara-on-the-Lake, we are, until further notice … closed.”
The sign continued: “To the neighbour down the street who threatened my husband and stated that they ‘looked forward to getting us shut down’ … we understand that there is a special time in everyone’s life where the human body goes through big changes. We at Doughvine are here to help … Please refer to the magazine slot on the right-hand side of the sign for some helpful literature to guide you through this special time.”
At the bottom right corner of the sign there was a magazine holder with feminine hygiene products, Girl’s Life magazines and The Period Book.
The display of such confrontational and offensive language in town could hurt its reputation long-term, warned the neighbour.
“Can you imagine the mind set of someone that, in a ‘Me Too’ era, compares actions of someone to a girl/young woman having her period?” said the neighbour.
“A grotesque message to have on a street front in our lovely town.”
Not only was it offensive, but the neighbours worry it could drive visitors away from NOTL, too.
Doughvine owner Jessica Millet was not available for an interview to answer questions before press time.
The part about women’s periods was ripped off within days, but the rest stayed up. It’s unclear who took that part of the sign down.
After another 72-hour notice was issued on Jan. 20 for the second sign, Plato said it was restored to its original condition on Jan. 23 and now follows the town’s regulations, said Minor.
Coun. Gary Burroughs said the town doesn’t support the language used by the shop and that the town has “strict rules” in place to govern signage.
He said when somebody reports a problem, the town is prepared to respond and track it right away, which is what happened here.
“We follow up very quickly,” said Burroughs.
While the sign now complies with town regulations, neighbours are walking away with a lasting worry that this could set a bad example for future community conflicts.
