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$750 Per Day In Fines?!? Everything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong.
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- It's been a tough week around the Skylabs shop, but we are still smiling =)
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"maybe they will enjoy the plywood!" haha!
=)
There is always THAT neighbor - and the signage was so beautiful.
Thanks!
I hate to see a nice guy harassed. I appreciate all your videos. :o)
same
Giving you a “like” and a “hang in there buddy”! You do something (on YT) that nobody else really does, and you do it well! Thank you
Get past this BS and keep on truckin' my friend. We need businesses like yours. Very cool about the cables, I'll make my trip down from MN again and be a buyer!
Appreciate it!
Plywood comment reminds me of an experience I had with my neighbor long ago. Another neighbor gave me a beautiful 1969 camper that fits into the back of a pickup truck. All wood interior, gorgeous. Even came with the pickup truck, only problem is it had likely a blown head gasket. And the whole setup was ugly as hell, from the outside. My goal was to paint the camper and the truck, but first thing first, fix the engine. There was no fence between me and my next door neighbor and I had the pick up truck parked in my driveway, so I told her if you ever get tired of looking at this, just talk to me and we'll get a fence put up.
I started to collect the things I needed but not before she anonymously complained to the city about my non-operable pickup truck. Big brother said I had to get rid of it, something about non-operable, unregistered vehicles in my driveway. So I thought screw it, called up some donation center, moved the rig to the end of the street and when they came to pick it up, they wanted to just dump the camper at the end of the street and take just the truck. I said no way, It's All or Nothing. So they didn't take it, and back in my driveway it goes.
I thought about the actual violation I was cited for, and it talks about vehicle being unregistered, inoperable, etcetera etcetera. And I thought well, they can force me to move or get rid of my vehicle, but they can't force me to move my camper, because it's not a registered vehicle. So I got some jack stands and dumped that camper right back in my driveway, without the truck underneath it, and donated the truck. From then on, the neighbor that reported it got to look at something even uglier, because the camper without the truck under it looked even more terrible.
My neighbor moved.
Boy, you showed her, huh?
We appreciate you, brother. Keep moving forward and we’ll be here to support you.
I appreciate that
I'm an audiophile that used to make signs for Valley Junction businesses many years ago (80's - 90's). I had to get permits for the signs. Since then I've worked all over the country and I can tell you that the zoning people in WDM are some of the biggest assholes I've ever dealt with.
Biggest problem IMO, is that while the ordinances might make sense for 90% of WDM but they don't work for VJ. We have 10 to 20 businesses on every block. We can't have an exterior extruding sign, because another business within 50ft already has one. This makes my signage extremely limited in options. Is what it is. I love the VJ community for the most part, so much so, my house is in Valley Junction.
@@skylabsaudio It's cool that you're selling Advanced Paris. I need to get to your store to listen!
Hey man. I own an inn (B&B) in Salem, MA and after 10 years in business, passing fire inspections EVERY YEAR, the city just told us that we need to install a sprinkler system into our 1846 home/biz. WTF! We're not going to do it. It will mean cutting our rooms down from 6 to 3 in order to slip under the law, but we're not going to deface our beautiful home with exposed sprinkler pipes and heads. I posted this just to say that we feel your pain from one small business to another.
It breaks my heart to read this news about fire code coming down on you after all these years. Since you have a restored historical building can't the local historical society assist you in getting a code varience due to the fact that your building is a piece of Americana that cannot be replced EVER?
@@stevebennett3495 I wish! The fire chief won't budge. He is invoking a Massachusetts general law which states that if you have more six or more people in a lodging house, you must have a sprinkler system. It is up to the local fire chief to decide if he wants to enforce such a rule. Previous Fire Chiefs have decided not to, but this one wants to and is doing it to a lot of old buildings in salem. They play it up like it's not a big deal, but it's wicked expensive and it's going to ruin the look of our home/business. We are up to fire code in every other way. It's a real shame and I'm trying to fight it, but no one in the city wants to go up against the fire chief, lest there is a fire and they are held responsible for coming between a safety precaution and history.
OMG, that's ridiculous! My wife and I have been to Salem twice and on our second visit we couldn't believe they had turned the old prison into condos.
I feel for you. Since you will have extra time not managing the 3 units you are going to drop, sounds like you should run for city council or town gov't. Become one of them and then turn them upside down. Good luck!
Massachusetts you say? enjoy your communism. Your getting exactly the government you voted for.
I'm one of the lucky people who gets to frequent your store. I always thought it looked great.
I love the great work you all have been doing! The harassment is not called for and the sign was of quality and well presented. Please keep your heads up and reaching for higher ground! I and all of your UA-cam fans are following. Skylabs shop is by far...."Top Notch" and this is a very small bump in the road. Love you guys!
Some days you just bang your head against the wall. I bought a building for my business, a building that was empty for years, but the city just fought me every step of the way. Stay strong, and keep moving forward!
Hate to see you down bro. I love your videos. Some people just can’t mind their own damn business. I didn’t see a thing wrong with storefront signage. You brought up some valid security issues too. Good luck. Go listen to some of your favorite music on your favorite system. That always lifts my spirits. 👍🏼😎🎶
That is why I build my own shop way out in the country on the 100 ac I own. Nobody bothers me now. Plus I can blast my Altec VOT as loud as I want.
Paint the plywood black, done.
Unfortunately, the original sign in the windows was so very descriptive on what's inside the store. People new in town just passing by the shop won't know what's inside with just a black window. It's a shame government can just be legally allowed to steal money from an honest business just for a sign that doesn't meet code. It's blackmail.
Those cables look good. I'll be needing a few pairs soon so I'll keep an eye on the website. - Sorry about the sign.
It was not a "fun one today."
But like you said, sometimes life just hits you with stuff like this!
Hope next week's better and can't wait to see what's next!
Thank you!
Speaking of LP’s, I still in possession of my original LP’s I purchased 54 years ago (some I inherited from my father). I still purchase new to me LPs from local vendors, eBay and Amazon
On a positive note, my wife and I are loving the Magic Sam, West Side Soul album we picked up there Friday. What a good find.
...Chin up my friend.
Your content has informed millions of viewers.
And guided probably more on how and what to do to achive their audiophile goals.
No doubt (no pun intended) you are one of the best !
Thanks for the video! We all have to get things off our chest sometimes, hope you are doing better. Those cables look very COOL!!!
Some people just have no idea what a small business has to deal with. Being a small business owner myself I can relate. Stay strong!
Like the city doesn't have anything more important to do. My hometown does the same kind of stuff to business owners, then wonders why nobody sets up shop here.
Looks like you have a massive collection, that's cool! Looking forward to more content.
And yet the people in big cities still vote for democrats, then bitch when they get exactly what they voted for.
I was in your store on June 1st...came in from Chicago. The equipment display is arranged very nicely. The mix of new and used options and your expertise makes your store the go to place if you are just starting out or you already have a system in place. I bought two used albums from you and when I got back home, examined them again and the vinyl looked brand new. Sound great, too. I wish I was closer.
Thank you for sharing and your business!
After seeing your multiple records, I don't feel bad about my double purchases of CDs
Hang in there, we, out here love your content.
Thank you!
Hang in there. There are brighter days ahead!
No worries. Thanks for posting something despite the aggravation over the sign.
Thanks for the great videos and your honesty.
Nice update. The record situation looks familiar. Keeping them in order is a must at some point if possible but nice problem to have. Hope you can find a reasonable security solution. Easy to see that is potentially a problem. See ya next time!
Well, that certainly sucks. It's a stereo store. The windows showed stereos. It isn't like they were big flashing Vegas type signs. There are times when I wonder what brought about such an ordinance to limit signage. What was the sign that was just too over the top that caused someone to say..."we need to do something about all of these signs."
I agree. Everything will be fine now with that small nice-looking sign removed? Gimme a break. This is nothing more than harassment and total BS.
It was democrats. they ruin everything they touch.
If your RCA jacks were flat on one side you could put the two flat sides together and fit them on closer stereo jacks...sorry about your luck on the signage!
Looking forward to those cables!
My grandmother had that same oil lamp. I have fond memories of touching the strings and getting the oil on my fingers... at the same time trying not to get in trouble for touching the lamp we were told not to touch. That was in the mid 70s. So cool that you have one.
Yet another example of bureaucratic pettiness. That sign was perfectly fine. There was absolutely no harm to the public in any form. This is an example of why the power of the government needs to be drastically restricted. The very creation of that ordinance should be impossible to write because it is an unjustified restriction on private property.
Never underestimate the ability of bureaucrats to f*ck with you.
And cities DO have the right to restrict signage.
Government? I guess you have never been in a community with an HOA. They would given only a few days to fix it or face fines.
hogwash. his next sentence is “maybe we should have checked with the city to see how much advertising we can have on our window”. it’s so pathetic when dullards just rail on gubmnt regulations, yet dumb business owners don’t do minimal due diligence. business isn’t hard. most business owners are idiots and that’s why they fail. mouth breathing morons who never paid attention in class growing up and never read a book and always blaming everyone else for their own dumbness.
Evidently, someone who isn't a fan of Marantz and JBL didn't appreciate your sign and turned you in! Here is another case of anti business beauacratics that "Bite off the hand that feeds them" ... taxes keep on the lights, and businesses pay a large majority of these taxes in more ways than one! I agree ...spray that plywood black and see how they light it. You should send that sign to the city for a Christmas present!😂
vote for democrats, dont be surprised when you wind up with little commies.
Damn dude! We love you too!! And, we’re not going anywhere. Let’s see some records!!!
Loved the slow reveal of the plywood. As Rodney Dangerfield incredulously said to Johnny Carson, “It’s people, Johnny!”
"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"
~Murphy, Law 1 👍
Schwartz's Law: Murphy was an optimist!
And at the worst possible time.
Murphy's Law was not Murphy's idea.
@@spacemissing He just dared to write down how life is working.
I bet, they hung him because of revealing that open secret.
Sorry about the sign be you are going through. City councils sometimes really don't understand what it takes to run a business.
Kevin, I'm John in Arizona, one of my best friends in the whole world stopped in last week, Paul, and his wife Karen from Illinois. He bought the Kenwood receiver. I just wanted to say hello, I'm sure he's going to enjoy the neck out of that bad boy. We talk vintage audio and music and reminisce about those days in the 70s.
Good luck sorting you albums, if I was closer, I'd give you a hand. I still have all of mine as well.
Cheers!
Thanks, John!
Any content you put out is much appreciated by me
definitely gonna be a fun one.
You may have to put some decorative bars across the main window to prevent theft. It would be much better than having everything stolen. Plus it would totally crush your spirit if that were to happen. Enjoy your channel. 😊
Not every week is going to be the best week. Hope you can stay chill! Classic gear and classic attitude go together, so I know you will all be OK.
Oooh, I saw some Fleetwood Mac, Aja, and some other goodies. What a great excuse for a road trip out to Des Moines. if you’re looking to get rid of a few classic vinyls please give some of us a heads up. BTW, you can always appeal to the city council / city for a variance in the code also to get around the code just use very dark (black) window tint then have your signage in line cut form. It’s very difficult to measure out. With what you pulled off they just measured the whole window, which knocked you out. Most city staff respond to a particular complaints, so you probably attracted a Karen or two. However, City council members / mayors ( not sure about Des Moines ) are all about keeping storefronts occupied and healthy. You may want to call some of them up and invite them over to your shop. Also get together with your business neighbors and start or get evolved with your downtown business assoc. there is power in numbers. So don’t tear anymore signs down until you do some reaching out. Your friend , Ret. Mayor Pro Tem in So. Cal.
Thank you so much for the info. I have the next meeting in my calendar =)
Look on the bright side, it's content for a video!
I feel your pain, Kevin. I owned a business in West Allis, Wisconsin. The zoning was so poor that on some blocks there was a liquor store next to a day care center next to a factory next to a bar next to a school. But the City sent me a letter because they were concerned that my sign took up more than 20 percent of my exterior wall space. As if my signage was wrecking the look of their boozy city.
Lol, You are exactly the reason democrat cities suck. everyone else is doing something you dont like, but your business is fine? enjoy your communism.
Sometimes I have to remind myself, don't let your possessions own you.
Amen brother, I have been collecting over 50 plus years and never sold anything. Currency organizing my albums and it’s very time consuming unless you do it immediately and I still have to log every item. Peace & Love
Love the plywood statement 🤘 They definitely asked for that, and it’s not ON your window. It’s in the shop. 😁
I would measure with a micrometer the window, and cut sign to be .0001 mm within the 25% limit. Force them to come and measure it...😖
Sorry about the troubles you are having right now. You provide a great service on the internet and I'm sure for the people of Des Moines as well.
Add onto your business with a couple work benches, train a couple (part-time) young technicians on piece rate, and start taking mailed electronics. Fix My Dual can offer shipping suggestions.
It's my belief that there's more money to be made in repair than sales in a smaller size retail establishment.
Better yet, go into the restoration business with Bill to offer an expanded line of services.
Just my 2 cents worth.
...And as always, enjoy your videos.
No problems I love your videos no matter what they are it kind of sucks but you got to go through but I had a small business also and everybody's always on your butt take care
Too bad about the zoning infraction. I would buy an old van, wrap it just like the window and park it right out front every day 😂
Had a sign over my desk for years, a quote from Married With Children "It Wobbles the Mind" seems pretty right on for your signage issue..
Put the signs on the inside, then they are not on the outside of the building? It's all about promoting safety and stopping break ins. Very cool cables by the way.
Oh baby the "Vinyl Quagmire"...here's a tip on counting records. Fifty records are just a bout one foot, if you measure them stacked on a shelf. It makes it fairly easy to get a pretty accurate count. Good luck!
Outstanding
Yes
Oddly Enough
I Have a Fisher 400-B
And Harmon Kardon
SR-600
and That is Exactly
My Issues With
RCA Cables
Sorry to hear about all of that. What a headache! Hang in there!
Keep on keeping on my Friend. Love your attitude. Stuff happens and you just got to move on. Good man.
I thought it was one of the better window graphics I've seen
Bummer with the city. Omg. Hang in there. Shop looks great.
KAREN IS AFTER SKYLABS!
Put hair remover in Karen's shampoo.
Oh, that's so Karen. ;)
Aw man that sucks about the window signage. I bet you felt awful having to peel that overlay off the glass..and yeah $400 out of pocket would've stung 🙁 It would have been some do-gooder with nothing else better to do who complained. Hopefully the council leave you alone going forward. Keep up the fantastic work you do, take care 👍
I’ve had issues with my township in residential situations. I confronted them and asked them for an explanation in detail what was in violation, a detailed explanation of what needed to be done in, who initiated the complaint, and have you told the many other residents with the same issue(s) to make corrections? I told them the ten days will not start until I receive a written notarized response so that I have time to meet with my lawyer. They responded “ahh, we’ll get back to you”. I never heard from them. They tried the same thing some 18 years later. Must have been a new crew or they forgot what happened the first time. I launched the same response with the same results. They are sometimes bullies. You stand up to a bully, they usually back down.
No they won't, they know a lawyer will cost you more than the fines & that most people will pay the fine & not get a lawyer, that's the name of the game they're playing
If the window is not a window, how can it be a violation? Also, I can only imagine how much hurt has rained down on Mr. Brian Portz as a result of this video. 😂
That's just nuts with the window graphics. I've worked at a sign shop for almost 20 years in the Chicagoland area, and I don't think we've ever had to get a permit from the city they're being applied. Sometimes the landlord wants to approve them, but not the city. Permits for building signage and channel letters? Of course. But never window graphics. And we've done a lot of full coverage window applications. Sorry you had to go through that. They looked very good and professional.
Sorry to hear of your issues. But the video itself was good! Hang in there.
Nothing quite a bad hair week😱. Keep on rocking👍
Great idea about the cables.
I went thorough this when I attempted to use an old vintage (1970's) chassis for a DYI project.
Ended up having to drill holes for TRS plugs.
No good business goes unpunished!!
Best to you my friend!
That was a beautiful sign, tarted the place up nicely, so to speak. I don't understand the complaint. Idle minds on the council board?
Sucks because those were not cheap and they were nice looking to boot. Put bar on the inside of the windows if need be and maybe tint the window a bit to keep the hot rays at bay. Will be here next week same bat channel !
At 4:00 - That's some beautiful equipment. Wow.
What's up Kevin from Long Island, NY? Sorry u were harassed. I guess just comply and move forward. Don't let those people get a dime of your hard earned money, my friend.
Yeah those Paris amps look real cool. And thank you for paying attention to the fact that many of these portly RCA plugs don't fit a lot of vintage equipment. What gets me is there is no need for them to be that wide in diameter, in the first place. Cheers !
I think I would have torn off the other one, the Marantz looks so cool
As soon as you mentioned making your own RCA cables I shouted in my head “make them thin enough for my Pioneer sx727 and I’ll buy them”. Of course you understand 😉
I've been to Des Moines many times but I'm always trying to get from one end of the country to the other as fast as possible. Maybe I'll stop and visit your store next time.
If you have 100 rugs in your mansion you can bet your dog will shit on the most expensive Persian one. - Murphy’s Law
Lol
Will def buy those cables. I have 10,000 records I need to go sort and get rid of a bunch of them. I was a Disco DJ back in the day.
In stead of darkening the front windows maybe you could do some retro horizontal blinds? That might look cool!
So, how much for the crumpled vinyl sign?
A number of years ago I got a notice from my town that my garage needed painted and they were going to fine me if I didn't paint it. I assume somebody in the neighborhood complained. What's funny is that my garage is attached to the house and it's all covered in white aluminum siding. I do have a large shed in the back that could have used a little touch up so I assumed that was the problem. Anyway I called them up, told them the situation and basically to f-off. It ticked me off to the point that I've never repainted it and now it really looks like crap. I can be a bit of a contrarian when pushed, lol. It's a shame having to destroy that cool window cover.
Sorry, that this wasn't a fun one :(. Everything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong, is Murphy's Law. BTW, there is a cool 12" recording of a song called "Murphy's Law", by Cheri. If you like early dance music, it is worth checking out. I think you can easily get it on vinyl. That said, I don't get the big deal about the window sign. It looked great! Would they prefer that you put a set of chase lights around the window? I always loved those. But in the late 80's, many towns have put up stupid rules about having signs or displays with flashing lights. I recall the day vividly when I was told to remove the decades old chase lights around the record store window that I worked for. You ask me, it is ridiculous. I ended up getting the chaser box out of it, which I still have. It is an old mechanical chaser with a metal disc inside that was part of the motor and that drove a cam shaft with a series of cams that made and broke the connection on four circuits. Amazing stuff! But yeah, usually it is someone that complains and just wants to cause trouble. I had to laugh when you removed the display and behind it was a board! Yeah, let's see how they like that instead!
Sorry about the typical local scare tactic letter, with that said I also have the same problem with my organization skills. I always tell myself not to buy anymore vinyl until I get organized. I must have compulsion, luv vids
Get some blinds installed. At least that way some light can shine in. Enjoy your videos!
Sorry for your troubles.
I know how you feel . I live in a small city . I had been restoring a 73 Charger and had it sitting beside my garage . It was covered with a tarp . Somebody turned me in and I had to sell it . There went about $ 4000 in just new parts alone . People need to mind their own business and cities need to chill .
Yeah. I hear ya. My level of care ends at my side walk.
@@skylabsaudioI heard of some guy who was reported to his local council for parking a boat in his driveway causing an eyesore. Was told he would have to put a fence up to hide it. He did this, then painted a lifesize image of his boat on it.
I would say bring your shop to Pella but I’m sure they are worse on rulings. Interruptions and distractions keep us on our toes. Thanks for sharing and we will be making a trip over soon.
Thanks, Bruce!
I forgot to mention... I have a pair of entry level Nordost Blue Heaven I/C's that have fairly thin RCA connectors. They worked well on my Marantz 2240B receiver. Might look into a type like that for you cable project.
Like you stated Kevin.
She ite like this appens!
Wish ya luck..Thanx for the dl..
What a shame! You had excellent signage.
Good to know the city is on top of the problem!!!!!!!!
I have a similar but smaller vinyl problem. Multiple copies of the same album, have to choose which one or two I keep. Well, I have to play each one, which one sounded best? And if I want to sell the surplus, those need to be in VG + condition too. Any duplicates not VG+ go to the used record store where I get a little back (not much). I volunteer at a bike co-op. One day the city inspector shows up "who is charge here? Your sign is too big, here's your notice. You have 48 hours to take it down."
Sounds about right!
……but yet the local vape shop has those horrendous neon lights?
In Hawaii, anti billboard laws are so strict, you can’t even have a vending machine outside, where you can read Coke or Pepsi from the street. My suggestion to you is put your website URL on your window or sign.
These city code jerks often have nothing better to do than enforce ridiculous rules. When the store where I work got an expensive led sign a few years ago, some idiot sat in his car timing how fast the message cycled. We got a warning similar to yours, and had to slow it down! Until the next fun video, my friend!
Thank you, Paul. So trivial isn't it.
I organized 3500 records recently. Because of the organized chaos effect. Now that they're alphabetical, it's a breeze to swap out for upgrades.
If you cant leave the vinyl wrap, switch it to blackout tint.
That is the plan =)
I had a quality Chinese restaurant open down the street from me but no one knew it was open. When I ordered some food I commented that they should put a "Now Open" sign in the window. They were told by the town that no signs were allowed in the windows(!). Seems ridiculous. So I know how you feel. I also got a letter from my insurance company telling me I had to cut back all my bushes and trees from the house or it was going to cancel my insurance. The insurance company doesn't want to pay for any tree damage from storms. The trees have been here for 70 years and ironically, I had a tree company prune them back two years ago. I was also told to replace my roof even though I have at least another 10 years on it. The insurance people flew a DRONE over my house to look at my ROOF! The roof tiles are discolored but still fine. Trying to appeal this but insurance companies just don't want to pay out for anything anymore. You can't win.
As for theft worries just install bars over the windows. Inside or out. Check w/city first to see what they do and don't allow. Also check with them and see if removing that one sign is enough to prevent any more unwantes surprises....
Can you suspend the sign back a foot from the glass and make it an interior privacy wall vs window dressing. Does the same, but changes it's legal purpose.
has to be 2ft back from the window. Can't give up that footage =(