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 Sandwich board signs used by local shops to help increase business. Steven Devine/Argonaut
For the second time in 10 years, sandwich board signs have found themselves sandwiched in the middle of a debate.
It’s been against city code to have a sandwich board sign outside any business that hasn’t been in the Central Business District since 1999, said Community Development Director Bill Belknap.
The Central Business District is contained in the downtown area. It consists of Main Street, Jackson Street and Washington Street.
Until this year, many businesses outside the Central Business District used the signs anyway. A complaint was recently filed against the Moscow Fly Shop because of its sandwich board sign.
“We’ve always had the sign boards out until recently,” said Marilyn Coates, owner of Cowgirl Chocolates.
After the complaint was filed against the Moscow Fly Shop, the city cracked down and instructed all businesses outside of the Central Business District to remove their signs.
The Moscow Chamber of Commerce has approached the City Council and asked them to look into changing the ordinance so that businesses outside of the Central Business District could use sandwich board signs.
“The city should allow stores to decide what they put in front of their business,” said Darrell Keim, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce.
The City Council will be discussing sandwich board signs at its next meeting, but it could take two to three months before a decision is made and put into action.
“They had us remove our sandwich sign, and the Saturday after that, nobody came into the store,” Coates said.
Without the sign, people couldn’t find her business, and the day of the week that was usually the busiest ended up being dead, she said.
“It’s very detrimental to business to not have the sign,” she said.
The lack of a sandwich board sign isn’t the only thing that makes it difficult to find Coates’ store.
“The street sign that the city is supposed to maintain is missing,” she said.
Her business is located on the corner of Lily Street and West Third Street.
“I’m hoping they put a moratorium on the signs while the council investigates,” Coates said.
With the Christmas season coming, she said she wants the sign so she can advertise her business.
“Our businesses constantly need to be educating the public because of the population turnover,” Keim said. “The signs also make it easier for people from out of town to see what local business has to offer.”
Belknap said in the Central Business District, which has wider sidewalks and more pedestrian traffic, the sandwich board signs allow for businesses without any property in front of their store to advertise.
“In areas outside of the Central Business District, you have property out front so you can install signs that serve the same purpose,” Belknap said.
The city of Moscow had almost no regulations surrounding signs until the ordinance was passed in 1999.
“There are a lot of shops and businesses outside of the Central Business District that need the extra advertising,” Coates said.
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