When Brian Ricketts moved out of the building his business could no longer afford, he left behind a spray-painted protest against big government.
Yor Hair owner Brian Ricketts was forced to give up his location on West Carlton Road for a much smaller one on West Street when his financial overhead became too great to retain a profit.
The vacated building on Carlton now reads, “Big Government Broke This Small Business” in red, white, and blue spray paint. Police confirmed that no reports of vandalism had been filed, suggesting someone from the business left the message.
“That’s my message up there because that is what happened,” said Ricketts, who lost many employees in the economic downturn. “I like to hire people, and I can’t do that anymore.”
Ricketts said that a combination of former employees quitting their jobs to claim unemployment benefits and penalties given by the state forced him to transfer ownership of the building to the bank.
Junior Ian Blodger frequented Yor Hair in the past and noticed when he arrived back after Winter Break that the busi- ness was no longer at its usual location.
“I was disappointed,” Blodger said. “I thought it was an advertising thing at first. It’s just sad because you see a lot of small businesses close down.”
Blodger said that small businesses such as Yor Hair offer personal service that distinguishes them from larger chains.
“It was cheaper than other places,” Blodger said. “Everybody was really friendly, and the haircut was good. Brian also likes to provide discounts to people in local job positions. He likes to help out the community.”
Ultimately, Ricketts said, that is what the message on his building is about, even though the city wants him to remove it by Jan. 26.
“Let’s make Michigan a great state for small businesses,” Ricketts said. “We want to make Hillsdale a great place. I’m pro-community.”
Ricketts is now working at 130 N. West St. with three employees.
