This fall, The Fire Station Cannabis Co. leased all of the available sign spaces on a billboard sign in Downtown Houghton on Sharon Avenue that has existed for over 30 years.
After installing signage at the location in early November to direct customers to its storefront, The Fire Station learned the sign was cause for concern for some city officials and residents. As an act of good faith, TFS, along with the owner of the sign, decided to remove the sign while the legal teams for the city and the company could sort out who owns the parcel of land where the sign was located.
“Serving our neighbors and being a part of the communities where we operate is one of our top priorities,” shared Logan Stauber, co-CEO and owner of TFS. “While we believe we have the right to rent space on a billboard in the location in question, we recognize that the sign itself raised some flags for the city and would like to give them the opportunity to explore those.”
Lessening the stigma associated with marijuana usage and increasing awareness of cannabis’ many benefits is something The Fire Station firmly believes in. “It’s hard to know if this sign would’ve caused concern if it were a different kind of retailer,” added Stosh Wasik, The Fire Station’s other co-CEO and owner. “Cannabis is seen as controversial, but I hope that it won’t always be.”
Legal teams for the City of Houghton and TFS are working together to resolve the ownership issue. “This sign, in some shape or form, has been in place for 30 plus years. The City of Houghton has been collecting personal property taxes on this sign for many of those years. The City is making money off these taxes, so why take it down now?” asked Tony Ruiz, attorney for the owner of the sign S&W Real Estate, LLC. “We are not convinced that this sign is not legally placed on this parcel, however we will work with the City and get to the bottom of it.”
The Fire Station remains steadfast in their goal to integrate, enhance and strengthen their relationship with the Houghton community. Regardless of the final verdict on the sign, TFS will continue to look for ways they can assist in bettering the local community.
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