Andrew Catigan (people call him Jet) takes a break in front of his pawn shop called A’s of Hearts on Bank Avenue. The young businessman from the Philippines is repainting the facade of the building after some people complained that it looked like graffiti. Photo by Lyonel Doherty
A new business owner in Oliver is rolling with the punches after being told to cover up the colourful façade on his building.
Andrew Catigan (also known as Jet) operates A’s of Hearts pawn shop on Bank Street. Recently, he accepted an offer from someone to paint the front of the building, but to some people, it looked like graffiti, so they complained to the Town of Oliver.
A town staff member reportedly called Catigan’s landlord, who in turn told the young man to whitewash the artwork. He readily complied and covered it up in the middle of the night.
The 31-year-old from the Philippines said he wasn’t bitter about the complaints, noting he took it as constructive criticism and is turning the whole affair into a positive experience.
He now plans to paint different murals on the façade to match the colours of Main Street.
Catigan lives in the building with his mother and two children, a boy and a girl.
“I decided to give the pawn shop a shot . . . I’m taking a chance, but I’ve been blessed to meet so many people.”
Catigan, a former pro basketball player who raises chickens, said he consigns people’s stuff in his shop to help them out.
Business has been fairly good, he said.
“So far I have been able to stay afloat,” he pointed out, noting that he had to sell his truck to keep his head above water.
During the interview, one customer blurted out: “He (Jet) has helped me out more than once!”
Looking around the shop, you’ll see racks of tools, clothing, DVDs, posters and a display case full of air pistols.
Catigan said he’s not going to let any negativity change his way of life in Oliver.
“I wasn’t disappointed to paint over (the façade). I was going to change it anyway. I’m going to use the criticism and turn it into something positive.”
He acknowledged that the original artwork may have looked like graffiti to some people, but said, “A person’s opinion is a person’s opinion.”
Catigan stated that public trust in Oliver is very important to him, and he wants to foster positive relationships here. In fact, he already has numerous supporters, including local resident John Chapman, who came to Catigan’s defence at last week’s council meeting.
“I just feel that things were handled badly (by the Town),” Chapman said, noting the Town should have taken a different, more friendly approach to the situation.
He suggested that someone should have spoken to Catigan and discussed ways to address the concerns, instead of sending a letter to the landlord who lives on the coast.
“It was handled poorly,” he reiterated.
But Councillor Maureen Doerr said there are bylaws (including the Good Neighbour Bylaw) and “everybody has to follow the rules” (pertaining to signage and how a business is presented).
Doerr admitted that she was one of the people who complained about Catigan’s paint job.
“It’s up to him to know what the bylaws are,” Doerr said, noting the proprietor should have shown the Town a rendition of what he wanted to do.
The Town received a number of complaints regarding the front of the property on Bank Avenue. The complaints were largely about the unsightly nature of the façade.
According to the Town, the infractions relate to the Official Community Plan Bylaw 1070 regarding signage: “the design of facia signs containing individual business signage should be integrated into the design of the building and should complement the building design and finishes.”
The infractions also related to the Good Neighbour Bylaw 1357. Under property maintenance, “no person shall place graffiti on private property, signs, buildings, structures of any kind, including fences or streets on or adjacent to any public real property.”
Graffiti is defined as “writing or pictures scratched, painted or drawn by any means on a wall, fence, building structures of any kind, sidewalk or road (but does not include public art murals that may be approved by resolution of council from time to time).”
Councillor Larry Schwartzenberger said he didn’t think the original paint job was that bad, but agreed with Doerr that it’s incumbent on people to know the Town’s rules and regulations.
Schwartzenberger said if Catigan wanted to change anything in the bylaw, he could have addressed council on that point.
Mayor Ron Hovanes reminded Chapman that the Town enforces its bylaws based on complaints; the Town doesn’t look for infractions. In this case, some residents thought the murals looked like graffiti, so they complained about it.
“We get beat up all the time for not enforcing our bylaws,” Hovanes said, noting the building owner took action once he was contacted by the Town.
But Chapman said the artwork was not graffiti because it didn’t fit the dictionary’s definition of it – “tagging” someone’s property.
Chapman said Catigan took a run-down building (the old bus depot) and made a business out of it. He tried to include some murals that told a story about the town.
“I think he’s trying to do a good job . . . it’s not a place of drugs or stolen goods.”
Chapman concluded by saying the Town should try to help new business owners who may not know all of the rules.
By Lyonel Doherty
