Schumacher Furs owner plans to close store permanently

[LeftyMom]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/02/schumacher_furs_owner_plans_to.html

Schumacher Furs owner plans to close store permanently
Posted by The Oregonian February 19, 2007 13:32PM
Categories: Breaking News, Portland

Gregg Schumacher said today he plans to close the 112-year-old family fur business for good.

"Try though we might, we have been unable to get any support from the Portland Police Bureau, the mayor or the City Council in enforcing the laws that are meant to protect us all," he said in a news release.

Animal rights protesters have targeted Schumacher Furs and Outerwear at Southwest Ninth Avenue and Morrison Street for more than a year.

Portland city leaders have said that Schumacher has failed to do all he could to help his own cause, for example, taking part in city sponsored mediation with protest organizers.

Schumacher's news release says he has tried to move the store outside city limits and to a mall environment. But a "targeted intimidation campaign aimed at mall ownership and management" has resulted in several late-stage cancellations, the release says. So he has nowhere to go and will close the store.

[Canuckistanian]

1. 112 years? They had a good run.

Once upon a time, the world needed animal skins for warmth. Now, it's just a vanity industry.

Actually, it has been for some time.

I mourn it's passing as I would a caviar factory.

[wildhorses]

2. this is one business that i don't mind hearing about closing

:hi:

[swag]

3. He'd still have his downtown store if he hadn't been

such a %3BLH%3A40%3BLW%3A261%3BLBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLP%3A1%3BT%3A%23333333%3BLC%3A%23003366%3BGALT%3A%23003366%3BGFNT%3A%230000ff%3BGIMP%3A%230000ff%3B&domains=wweek.com&sitesearch=wweek.com">high profile asshole.

The protesters had planned to move on until he created such a heinous spectacle.

On edit: on this story, the Oregonian reporting was actually better than the Willamette Week reporting (linked above).

[LeftyMom]

6. And he blew a ton of money on security goons

Five, the day I was there. Honest-to-goodness neckless goons, not rent-a-cops. Goons cost good money. You pay for five because there's two dozen vegans, a boom box and a tv on a little red wagon out in front of your store, you're gonna go out of business.

One of the goons threw a lit cig at my buddy, too. They were trying to provoke the protesters so they could say there was violence and get the city to step in with more than a free cop (and it's a sad thing when even at time and a half, the cops can't stand your ass. They all think he's an asshole.)

Honestly, I'm shocked he made it into this year.

[Coventina]

18. Thank you! Plus, K&R

:yourock:

[depakid]

11. Yep, they were their own worst enemies

and did more to damage the market for furs in the Portland metro area than the protesters ever could.

The fact is- they generated a ton of bad publicity in the "mainstream" press and opened a lot of people's eyes to the cruel and inhumane reality of the fur trade.

That always impresses me about reactionaries- they can't see simple public relations dynamics.

[MissB]

15. Thank you.

:applause:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. Holy crap. What a glorious shithead. As arrogant as his distant relative...

...whose era, coincidentally, also ended recently:

[Trajan]

4. Horse Carriages and Steam Locomotives are not manufactured anymore ...

The owners of those businesses suffered losses, saw the light, got the hell out, and started another business, with more current prospects ...

Mr. Schumacher ? ... Sell your inventory ... re-evaluate your position, and move into a new direction ...

It's time ....

[Tyo]

5. The bottom has pretty much fallen out of the kid glove market too.

If this company was still generating any serious money and had any kind of customer base I'm pretty sure that they'd be hanging in there protesters or no protesters. I'm guessing that after 112 years the family has pretty much made its pile and that the store has become more of a marginally profitable hobby than anything else.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

7. If they were smart,

they'd deal in synthetic fur.

This stuff looks pretty nice... http://www.charlycalder.cc/osc/catalog/

[dysfunctional press]

8. i have no problem with furriers in general.

and i get a kick out of it when some idiot throws red paint on a fur- and then has to pay for the purchase of a new fur coat...don't they realize that by destroying one coat, they are "sentencing" that many little critters to death to make a replacement...?

(btw- when i say 'sentencing that many little critters to death'- i am referring to it in their opinion, not mine)

i don't have a fur coat myself, as i'm not all that fond of the look for men- but i do have a mink hat that i never would have made it through the past few weeks of sub-freezing temperatures without.

[LeftyMom]

9. Nobody was throwing paint at any furs at the Schumacher demos.

They make synthetics that are much warmer than fur you know. If you want to wear the skin of anally electrocuted rodents on your head, do it proudly and don't make lame excuses about it being too cold to do otherwise.

[dysfunctional press]

13. they don't make synthetics that are as warm & comfortable as the one i have.

at least i've never come across one.

and since i also eat steak & wear leather shoes, it would be extremely hypocritical of me(or any other meat-eating leather wearers) to turn my nose up at fur for the way that it's harvested.

[Hawkowl]

10. Ah yes, Mink

I hope every time you put your hat on, you think "I so enjoy jamming a metal rod up a mink's ass and electrocuting him! I wonder what his expression was as his eyes boiled?"

Because THAT is how your hat was made. Try gore tex or fleece.

[dysfunctional press]

i eat steak & wear leather shoes too.

i have gore-tex & fleece hats as well- but they are definitely nowhere near as warm as the fur.

[mainegreen]

12. Who the hell still buys fur? Other than the humanitarian issues, it's an inferior product.

It's a bitch to maintain.

Give me natural wool any day. A nice, thick, two layered natural wool homemade sweater will keep you warm easily in temps down to -20, is surprisingly waterproof and smells and looks good to boot!

Or if you *must*, synthetics are reasonable as well.

Edited to add: Yes, I guess wool is 'fur'. So some fur is ok.

[flvegan]

14. Nice work!

Congrats to the protesters and the orgs that promoted them.

You notice Scum-macher went all, "boo hoo, nobody will help me...it's their fault, and their fault"

Poor baby. My heart bleeds for you, asshole.

[The Stranger]

16. Market forces, lack of demand, find a new line of work.

And spare us the victim line, the imbecile Right Wing eat it up.