PORT TOWNSEND — A sign stating that a Hooters restaurant was slated to open in the location of the recently vacated Port Townsend Liquor Store was a joke perpetuated by the property owner.
Ken McBride, who owns the Lighthouse Shopping Center and rented the property to the liquor store, said he was surprised and disappointed when the store vacated the premises last weekend but thought he’d have a little fun.
He had a friend create a sign with the Hooters logo and posted it on the storefront Tuesday.
“I got a lot of calls about this, and a lot of people told me it made their day,” McBride said.
“They all knew it was a joke.”
Not everyone was sure it was a joke, and the sign — and the idea that such a business might open there — was a topic of local conversation until the sign was removed Thursday morning.
McBride said he was intending to leave it up for a while but was contacted by city officials and told that any new sign required a permit.
He has kept the sign and would like to put it up in other places just for fun but doesn’t want to run afoul of the city.
The Port Townsend Liquor Store operated as a state-owned outlet until June, when it was taken over by Kulbir Singh of Brazil, Ind., along with seven other liquor stores throughout the state.
Singh has now closed all of the stores, according to Byron Roselli, who represented Singh in the purchases.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
