By Joey McWilliams
DURANT – Out with the old, in with the new. Well, not exactly…
In this situation, it will be in with the new, and the old is going to stick around, as well.
A new business is launching in Bryan County in February as Starbucks on Main will open its doors later this month. The Durant location of Starbucks has been built on the corner of 21st Avenue and Main Street.
That property has been home for a number of car dealerships in the past, but the advertisement on the corner that is most recognizable to people driving by isn’t one which would point you to a place to find a new ride. The tall sign on the corner directs you to a store a little ways off of Main – Discount Liquor.
The big red and gold sign has been doing its job for more than three decades. And despite the new business being erected so close to its home, the old sign isn’t going anywhere.
Terry Pierce, owner of Discount Liquor since 2009, said the sign went up when the store was built in 1993. He said he would like it to stay up.
“It catches a lot of eyes from the road,” Pierce said. “It would hurt us to take it down.”
The sign is close to a busy intersection and specifically Main Street traffic and does seem to make a difference for a business that is a few hundred feet off of Main. And because it has remained intact through the entire construction of the new Starbucks building, locals have questions and comments about its future.
It has become a conversation piece for the city.
“Is it going to stay up?” “It’s been there since I was a kid.” “Who owns the property it’s on?”
Both Discount Liquor and Starbucks have more than a passing interest in ‘The Sign’ as well, but it looks as though its fate has come down to the City of Durant.
Paul Cottrell, the Building Inspector for the city, who inspects all new construction, remodels, anything residential or commercial, echoed the sentiment of many in regard to the life of The Sign.
“Everybody I’ve talked to said it’s been there as long as they could remember, and as long as their grandparents could remember,” Cottrell said. “You know, I don’t think there is any paper trail at that time to know exactly when it was erected there.”
And that is the key – when was it erected? According to Pierce, it was 1993. And from the online comments of others, The Sign has been around at least that long, or longer.
“It would all depend on when it was put in, according to the city ordinance of non-conforming signs,” Cottrell said. “If it was put in before 2001, then it’s a legal non-conforming sign. Although it doesn’t meet city code anymore, it was there before city code was established and so it gets to stay there until something naturally knocked it down – like if the wind or a storm was to take it out and damage it more than 50 percent, then they probably wouldn’t be able to go back up with it now.
“But as it stands right now, it is a legal non-conforming sign.”
Cottrell was referring to Durant’s City Ordinance 158.06, which can be found HERE.
It turns out The Sign isn’t on the property belonging to either Starbucks or to Discount Liquor.
“It is on city property in the city right-of-way,” Cottrell said. I don’t know, at that time, who was in office here. I know that from the code it should have never been there. It’s not on his (Pierce’s) property at all. I don’t know if, at that time, he owned all the way up to Main Street. If he did, that would then make it OK as to why it was put there.
“But personally, it should have never been allowed to be put there, but it was. And at this point, if the city – if my department – was to try to do anything, it would probably almost look as if it was being selective. As it stands there is no actual code violation with where it sits.”
Cottrell was able to give the bottom line on The Sign.
“From my department, we can’t do anything to change it. It will be staying there.”
Pierce told of legal discussions from years past, but Cottrell said he wasn’t familiar with those at the moment.
“I don’t know any particulars on that. I know that I’ve spoken with Starbucks and they were pretty eager about getting it down. And it’s pretty understandable as to why. And I’ve been told that they and the owner of the liquor store have met and he’s pretty adamant about it not coming down.”
While it seems unlikely that people driving by will be confused by The Sign about what kind of beverages the local Starbucks sells, for now it will remain in its current place on city property, grandfathered in at its longtime home.
