Misogynist Bar Owner in Perth

Wednesday, June 14th

That was an event. I had my hair coloured. I've been feeling a bit down for this season. I've been trying to do some stuff to get myself in gear. Why not some colour? We've been cutting back in good parts of our budget, and it wouldn't hurt. Hubby was all for it, and truly encouraged me! I told my stylist: we wanted impact!

When I came out, relaxed after three hours of creative effort by my skilled stylist, there was a portable, lighted, business sign behind my car. They are made with hard steel.

I looked at the people sitting on the bar deck, and said, what's with this?

They said, you have to talk to the bar owner.

In I went, into the grungy bar. The owner began ranting and raving at me. Swearing, dropping the F-bomb, telling me that I was trespassing on private property.

I asked how was I to know it was private property? No sign. He said the salon owner knows. They should tell me. He said I wasn't a patron. I've never been in to his bar. I told him I never will.

I asked how I was to get home. He said I should pay the patrons on the deck to move this sign. I went back into the salon. We didn't know what to do.

Back out I went. I walked to the sign and dragged it away while his patrons were laughing and one was taking photos of me on her cell phone.

He began yelling at me again, telling me I was a rich, old fat woman, and other verbal abuse. I said, he was 'the pot calling the kettle black.' (I thought of all sorts of things to yell back at him later, when I calmed down!)

What a way to welcome people to Perth, Tourism dollars. This salon has people coming in from Ottawa to have their hair done. One has to remember that things like, people like this, such as vandalism, don't make Perth what it is, and that there are better people than this in the wider Perth Community.

What a creep, who enjoys harassing the women who frequent the salon. There is 2-hour parking on the street, but I know my colouring took longer. I had no idea, I checked for signage as I parked here.
Originally, the bar owner negotiated with the salon. He said they could rent some parking, if they got insurance. They did so. They approached him again, and he said he'd changed his mind.
This bar owner won't permit the women to put up a sign on the wall. He says he'll call police if they do. Now, that would seem a no-brainer. I think the police (OPP in Perth) might protect them, rather than charge them with trespassing!

You can seem them laughing at me from the deck (below). That was until he became more verbally abusive. He yelled at me that I was old and fat, from the safety of his deck, with customers laughing, behind him. He was enraged when I simply moved the sign.

People asked why I didn't call the cops right away. I was both angry and afraid. I can understand, in extreme situations like this, a male bullying a female, how you just want to get away. I went back, a few days later, to apologize to my stylist for leaving her there. She was about to close up and was alone, but she had a key. Hubby offered to go back with me, and confront him, but I sat on it for a couple of days.

Friday, June 16th

I went to the Perth OPP office Friday, and registered a complaint, although, hubby is afraid of retribution in this small town. Thankfully, the phone is in his name, not mine. (He bought me a vanity licence plate, you see, and the owner knows my last name, perhaps... ) A bar customer took photos of me in my predicament. The bar patrons seemed quite entertained.

The constable we spoke to was a sweetie. He's going to go and speak to the owner, when he has time, and give him a warning. If anything like this happens again, we are to call the police, as there will now be a file on him. I was simply too upset to do that at the time, and I was afraid of what he might do.

My OPP man asked if I wanted a follow-up phone call. I did. He phoned me at 9:30 p.m. Friday night, to say he'd spoken to both the bar and salon owner. On Facebook, my salon says he'd spoken to them, as well.
The horrid stories of bar owner's treatment of staff abound on their Facebook post, as well as other customer horror stories.

June 17th, he'd put the sign right where I parked,
but no No Parking sign

Tuesday, June 27th

Another incident. It didn't take long. Someone entered the salon, was told her parking mistake. The bar owner roared in and yelled throughout the very full salon, over the client who had parked in the wrong spot and was about to move her care. This man thrives on conflict and bullying women. He likes that Right Fight. Methinks he's lost his moral compass.

The bar owner called for a tow truck. The tow truck driver entered the salon, and said he wasn't going to tow her car. People from other businesses in the town have phoned the salon, commiserating on their foul treatment. The hair salon called the police again.

June 28th, still no signage

July 2nd – hubby snapped these photos!

Hubby went into town for errands. He feels ugly every time he passes this spot, as do I.
Victory! This has taken years for the salon. I feel good, having gone from victim to victor, on behalf of all the customers he has bullied.