The owner of a small business in Chilliwack, B.C. has given up her fight to keep the bright pink paint job that drew the attention of city hall.
Twyla Johnson painted the exterior walls of her Corner Hut vintage clothing store pink last month to match her logo—but forgot to get approval from the city.
Someone complained to the local business improvement association that the paint is not among Chilliwack's 75 approved heritage colours, and therefore constitutes a bylaw infraction. Johnson was told she had until Aug. 5 to repaint the store or face a hefty fine.
On Friday, despite an outpouring of community support and a petition in her favour, Johnson relented.
"This is disheartening for me and my neighbours," she said. "We've put a lot of work and effort into putting this neighbourhood to where it is now, and now it just feels like we're going way backwards."
Even Mayor Sharon Gaetz says the pink paint must be covered up—though she says the BIA has offered to pay for the paint and it should be a relatively painless process.
"A Good Samaritan has actually come forward and said they would be happy paint it, so I think it's a win-win for everybody," Gaetz said.
Johnson's landlord says the entire building is going to be repainted, news that didn't go over so well with some of the other tenants. Troy Devries, owner of the Lunch Box, called the move "ridiculous."
"It looks better… business is better. And now we have to go back because it's pink?" Devries said.
Johnson said the replacement colour is going to be "pea soup green."
"It's just going to make the neighbourhood look exactly like it did before," she said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Norma Reid
