"We argued with him there for about a minute before he said 'OK go on', it was like he was convinced we weren't gipsy so we could go on.
"I know this kind a camper van is slightly unusual, but it is not exclusively used by the travelling community."
After parking the van, he went to remonstrate with the guard who said they were not the only people he had stopped and questioned.
The guard, who was caught on tape, told him: "A lot of them are coming in similar cars. If you had said yes [to being a gipsy] I wouldn't have let you into the premises."
In the recording of the conversation, the attendant can be heard to say: "We are stopping them because they are coming in and taking things of our loyal customers, that is why I'm here in the car park."
Mr Massey added: "We were honestly gob smacked. Even if they have had problems with travellers using their electricity supply or parking there at night it doesn't justify the racial profiling of customers at the front door. "It is not acceptable, I'm disgusted."
The Gypsy Council said Ikea "should be ashamed of itself". A spokesman added: "God help anyone who they think looks like a Gypsy – lots of Gypsies don't walk around with big earrings."
But Garry Deakin, the Ikea store manager at Croydon, defended the practice.
He said: "Over recent months the travelling community in the Croydon area have been attempting to access the customer car park to set up their mobile homes.
"(It) not only has an impact on our customers' shopping experience, but also poses a health and safety risk due to the build up of human and animal waste.
"After discussions with both the local traveller liaison officer and Croydon Council, Ikea Croydon implemented preventative procedures to secure the car park, including a security officer to patrol the entry to the car park to prevent the mobile homes entering the car park."
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Furniture store flying the flag - Nottingham Evening Post
IT'S not hard to get lost in Nottingham's largest independent furniture store, which boasts a vast 50,000 square feet of showrooms. Occupying a large, key site on Huntingdon Street, Hopewells is currently flying a number of Union Jack flags in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
The store, which sells a vast selection of modern, inspirational designs, normally flies the flags of some of the European companies represented in store, but has replaced them all with Union Jacks to mark the occasion.
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Key site: The store and some of the stunning furniture on sale.
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While the excitement of the last couple of weekends is now dying down for many, it is just starting for Hopewells.
The store's summer sale starts after the preview for existing customers on June 16 and 17.
The family-run store, which has traded since 1885, first developed its reputation for refreshing modern designs back in the 1950s, importing light and vibrant woods and styles from Scandinavia and other European countries.
But today it has not only asserted itself as an interior design beacon but also a company synonymous with quality and service too.
Managing director Adam Hopewell runs the store with his wife Janet, director, his father John Hopewell, chairman, and associate director Alan Ball, who said: "Together we endeavour to ensure standards are maintained and Hopewells remains a destination to inspire rather than mimic the more typical outlets found on the retail parks."
Some of the store's key brands include Stressless of Norway, Ligne Roset of France, Natuzzi of Italy, Hulsta of Germany, Skovby of Denmark. Duresta and Hypnos are just two of the many quality British brands that are showcased.
The building itself is one of Nottingham's more unusual. The side of the building which can be seen from road level was built in 1973 and links through a second floor level to a 19th century mill with another three floors – each one measuring 10,000 square feet.
Mr Ball says: "We aim to inspire and are able to completely furnish a home not only with exceptional products but with a wealth of experience within our company to help ensure our customers are thrilled with the result and return each time they require furnishings or accessories.
"Although we don't sell kitchens or bathrooms, in terms of furniture and furnishings we do pretty much everything else.
"We have our own interior designers but we also work closely with many designers and architects who are able to utilise our showrooms rather than selling to their customers from catalogues, taking advantage of the array of products that just won't be found anywhere else in the region.
"You might find some of our products in a high quality store like Harrods, but our selection is really quite unique."
So whether it's an inspirational accessory, bespoke soft furnishings, flooring expertly fitted or simply furniture you will cherish, all supplied with service honed over generations and with the guarantee of the best value, it really does have to be Hopewells.
The company aims to offer high quality at the best value and promises to match the prices of its products, if found elsewhere at a lower price.
The store is open from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays from 10am to 4pm.
The company plans to begin trading online in the near future, offering a selection from the vast ranges for those who prefer to shop from home. Visit www.hopewells.co.uk
For more details, phone 0115 953 6000 or e-mail info@hopewells.co.uk
Source: www.thisisnottingham.co.uk
Four Seasons Casual furniture store shut down - Newburyport Daily News
ROWLEY — Not even a year since celebrating its grand opening, Four Seasons Casual Inc., an outdoor furniture store at 406 Haverhill St., has been shut down by the building inspector.
Following up on a cease and desist order issued May 21, inspector Ken Ward, accompanied by local police, shut down operations Tuesday mainly due to lack of an occupancy permit.
Ward cited several other violations in his order, including zoning issues regarding outdoor and illuminated signs and using the entire facility as a retail outlet when half of it is zoned warehouse/storage. He also cited the need for a "construction completed certificate" for the site plan from the Planning Board that had not been obtained.
Ward said the business is closed until further notice. "The bottom line is they have no occupancy permit and should not be open to the public," said Ward.
When reached by phone shortly after the forced closing, Dave Moran, lessee and co-owner of the business, said, "All I have to say is that we ended on a positive note and will work collectively to do what it takes to reopen the business."
Moran said in a previous interview in late May that he was assured by building owner John Coughlin of Gateway Realty Trust of Essex that there was an occupancy permit for the building. "I leased this building with the belief that I could just move in and open for business," said Moran, who also operates an outdoor furniture store in Danvers.
When told there was no occupancy permit, Coughlin said he thought it would have carried over from the previous tenant (Casual Furniture), adding that "he had no idea why there wasn't an occupancy permit."
Ward said there has never been an occupancy permit at that location.
Coughlin added that he felt they had done everything the town asked to be in compliance with getting an occupancy permit, such as putting in a handicapped access ramp, and that there were no building issues that he knew of that would hold up the issuance of an occupancy permit. He did say that complying with zoning issues were the responsibility of the tenant.
Four Seasons Casual opened operations in the Haverhill Street building last August, after the operations of Casual Furniture of Ipswich, the previous tenant, were closed and the contents seized by the sheriff's department. Ward said he spoke with the new owner almost immediately to let him know that he couldn't use the entire building as a retail store and that there were other outstanding issues that needed to be addressed before an occupancy permit could be issued.
By Aug. 9, Ward had verbally asked Moran to shut down until all the issues were addressed. He said his orders were ignored and by December, he had issued a written stop-work order.
Since that time, there have been meetings with Moran, Coughlin, the chairman of the Planning Board, Curtis Bryant, the town's conservation agent and others from the town's Board of Health to work to review the concerns with the tenant and owner to no avail.
Bryant said in a May 21 letter to selectmen that they worked diligently to assist the applicant in receiving permits requisite "for developing a difficult building and site, ... but it is apparent that the approved site plan has not been completed and communication with the Planning Board to resolve the issues of non-compliance have been insufficient."
Moran said he tried to work with the town but felt that as soon as he complied with one requirement, the deliverable changed. "To my knowledge we have done everything we've been asked to do to keep our business open," said Moran. "We are here to comply and just need someone to show us the way." Moran was concerned about being closed too long during his busiest season.
Moran and his partner, Brad Doane, who resides in North Carolina, are also facing eviction from the landlord of the property for past due rent, utilities and other fees on the property amounting to nearly $20,000. Doane has been summonsed to Newburyport District Court on June 7 to address this issue.
Source: www.newburyportnews.com
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