Black Books

Only not Bernard Black, it seems.

A shop owner branded the ‘bookseller from hell’ because he charges customers 50p to enter his store has been accused of ‘abusive behaviour’ and told to change his attitude or leave town.

More than 20 complaints have been made to Hawes Parish Council about Steve Bloom, who owns Bloomindales in the North Yorkshire market town.

Mr Bloom has been accused of being ‘miserable’ and ‘rude’ to customers who refuse to pay his entry charge and labelled a ‘discredit to the town’.

Council chairman John Blackie said members want him to change his attitude to customers or leave the town.

This guy makes Bernard Black seem positively genial. But… But… But… Note the point here; he owns the shop. If he wants to charge people to enter it, well, it’s his gaff, his rules. If  he wants to be rude to people coming in, again, his gaff, his rules. If people don’t like his attitude – and I certainly wouldn’t – then the solution is remarkably simple – don’t patronise his bookshop. If there are sufficient amounts of people annoyed by his behaviour, trade will vanish and he will go bust. That’s how it works.

This isn’t the wild west where the sheriff gets to run people out of town because they don’t like them. I repeat – it is his property. He gets to say who comes in and he gets to decide the ambience once they do come in and if he wants to charge a refundable entrance fee, well so be it. It’s odd, but that’s up to him. And, frankly, John Blackie has no business telling anyone to change their attitude. Least of all on their own property.

Did I mention private property yet?

He said: ‘I have received more than 20 letters of complaint in the last four years about the abusive behaviour of Mr Bloom – by letter, email and telephone.

‘More recently we have had four, including one from a Dr Bates on holiday from Shropshire, who wrote to say he found his behaviour totally unacceptable and considered he was a discredit to the town and its other traders.

Er, so what? It’s a discredit to him and no one else. And the solution? Oh yeah, I already said.

‘But we have sought legal advice and have been told his behaviour does not constitute a public nuisance.’

Of course it isn’t. Get over yourselves and leave the bloke alone. One of two things will happen – people will stop going to the shop and he will have to close it. Or, possibly, the notoriety you have just given him will prove to be a boon to his business. Some people will happily pay to be abused.

Ahem!

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Update – on the matter of property, this makes things a bit more clear.

He also said he would ask the trustees of the charity Hawes Market House, in whose premises the shop is based, to warn him he could be thrown out.

Okay, so the charity owns the premises in which the shop is sited, which puts a slightly different spin on things. That said, the same basic principles apply – providing he is not in breach of the rental contract, there’s nothing to bother about.

Mr DiDuca said Mr Bloom was not doing anything to breach his contact so there was no reason to evict him.

There you go, then. They could, of course, terminate the contract when it expires so again, their gaff, their rules. But until then, if he is operating in accordance with his contract, his gaff, his rules.