http://www.vicnews.com/news/216692331.html There's been an unofficial coffee house car social going on at the Royal Oak Shopping Center just outside of Victoria BC for about a decade. Driver's stop by, buy coffee and or food and hang out. Last Saturday during Deuce Days the Mall Management had the collector cars ticketed in an effort to chase them off. The Mall allows 3 hour parking to customers but apparently parking enforcement didn't care if the customers were shopping or not. If you parked a collector car you were getting a ticket. Even if you weren't there for the gathering. One couple wrote that they stopped in to the grocery store at the mall in their Corvette and were chased away by the parking Nazis. Discrimination?
I was a customer of Francelli’s Coffee House on both Friday and Saturday along with buying stuff at the drug store and friends spending money at the yogurt shop. We are part of the US visitors that left because of these security guys. One was really nice and the other an absolute a-hole on a power trip. I feel sorry for the supporting business as they are sure to loose business over this and are also victims of their landlord. I heard the bakery was one of the complainers from a few people while I was there.
i havent been down this year yet, it really was a great location, i also really miss the Cheese burgers they had at the BBQ, some smart business person should take note of whats happening and welcome eveyone to a new location.
wife and i got a warning ticket at that site a couple years back, and we'd only been there about 45 minutes, our host at the B&B we were staying at said it was a common thing and it does hurt tourism.
I saw one of their "tickets" written at 6:09 in the hands of a guy that had a receipt with a time of 6:03 on it. '
a little update, i think any effort to organize the Royal Oak happening would ruin it, the way people just show is up it what gives it a nice feeling, maybe Langford will work. http://www.timescolonist.com/news/l...cruise-in-after-saanich-parking-tiff-1.561476
Pretty straightforward. If you are a car guy, they dont want your business. So boycott that mall. Every time, all the time. And tell other car guys as well. Dont want to cause them undue stress, so stay away. Bet there are a few other places in Saanich that would be GLAD to have your business. I can guarantee you, next time I am in Saanich, I wont set foot in the place, Whether I am in the wifes Toyota or not. An email to mall management may not be out of place. Might not hurt to mention it to the place you stayed at either.
Sent the mall owners an e-mail and will not patronize their business locations in the future when we visit or move to the island. Will see what if any response comes from them. I think the best plan of action is to let them know what they are losing by this move. Just do not support the businesses there, period.
Would never stand up in court, someone local needs to challenge this on behalf of the out of town car folks who have to put up with this nonsense. Fight it and make a big deal out of it. It is a big deal, someone gave this a..holes a directive to do this.
I would just avoid the place in the future,,check around and find another place that wants your business. HRP
The newspaper did a piss-poor job of reporting with all sorts if inaccuracies. And things have changed over the years too, such as a new owner of the mall as well as managers. The car guys have taken things for granted over the years and this "unofficial" coffee get together has grown into a car show with people setting up lawn chairs, popping the hoods and at times showing no respect for the merchants and parking where they please, even in handicap stalls. Malls are not public domains, they are private property and the mall owner has the right to control what is happening on his/her property. Something that has been forgotten. No one bothered to ask the mall owner for permission. Yes, the coffee shop that started this did try to exert some semblance of control by hiring a commissionaire to try to keep the parking in one area but there are always a few rotten apples in the barrel that did not listen. Apparently the mall is now talking with car enthusiasts to come to some amicable guidelines concerning the Saturday evening get together. I guess that a show of force had to occur to get the car guys attention. There are always two sides to every story, and here-say causes more problems than they should.
Know we know the rest of the story as the saying goes. Hopefully this can have a positive outcome for all involved.
Reply from the mall owners as follows. They also said someone has come forward to represent the car owners and they are looking for a solution. <O</O
Reading some of the FB responses I can imagine the conversations at the mall itself and personally don't blame the mall for taking a stand. At least now there is communication between the 2 parties involved and hopefully most of it will be more mature than FB.
Putting up caution tape and pulling lawn chairs out and organizing parking for cars smacks of 'show' to me.
Wasn't that cruise in on Friday eve a while back? They changed it to Saturday because some stores closed early. I went there a few times and saw people putting out chairs to save a spot for their friends. Suppose someone wanted to go in that store and couldn't find a parking spot and left. That would p off the mall owners.
Being more mature than most of the shit that supposedly grown up people post on FB would not be all that difficult.
If the mall owners are talking at all then it's a very good sign, keep it civil and give them a reason to want the cars and their owners there. I stumbled off a cruise ship (yes, really) into the middle of Deuce Days and don't have anything remotely showable at an event like that anyway for the near-term future at least, maybe someday it'll be of more than academic interest where I can park...
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