Tyrone Hardware Finally Run Out of Business

After 10 years of restrictive zoning laws, our government has finally succeeded in closing down Tyrone Hardware Company. In 1997 Hardware owner and President of the Tyrone Business Assoc., Frank Mortell wrote a prophetic letter to the businesses. The letter said: “In an effort to save our businesses, we have got to band together to prevent their death”. The subject was our current zoning law that Council was trying to pass that would eliminate land uses for business property in connection with downtown redevelopment with the purpose of “eliminating logical businesses”.

Sadly, my mind wandered back to a conversation I had with Mr. Mortell. He had been in business here for many years and his store had served the community well. Barry & Valerie were constantly harassing him and he made the first effort to save the businesses.

Then as now, the Council was unresponsive. In June 1997 they passed the first of many future restrictive laws, ordinance 341, and sued Mortell. Frank had just built a nice new home off Ellison Road. In frustration he put the Hardware Store for sale, sold his new home and moved Florida.

But because of the restrictive ordinance, no one wanted to buy the store. He tried to sell it for 10 years, operating as an absentee owner, losing money while paying nearly $30,000 in taxes to support Tyrone’s government.

Last month, Frank gave up and sold off his inventory for pennies on the dollar. Now his building sets empty along with many others. If anyone buys it, they’ve got a loser in anti-business Tyrone. Can you imagine how much money Tyrone will owe Frank Montell if the proposed class action lawsuit is successful?