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Yesterday, I reported that Peg McCoy, owner of Farm to Markey Grocery on South Congress in Austin, TX, did not know her store was going to be used in Rick Perry's first TV ad, nor does she support Governor Perry or his views. (Burnt Orange Report: Austin Small Business Owner Objects to Use of Store in Rick Perry's First TV Ad). This morning, I went and interviewed Max Berendt, who works at the Avenue Barber Shop on South Congress in Austin, Texas -- just a few doors down from the Farm to Market Grocery. You can't see his face, but he's actually the the one who flipped the sign at the front of Rick Perry's advertisement:(SEE UPDATE BELOW). I asked Max the same questions I asked Peg McCoy, owner of Farm to Market Grocery, yesterday. Here's what he said: Phillip Martin: Did you know they were going to be using your store in a television ad? Max Berendt: Not at all, no. PM: Did you sign any paper work saying that it’s okay for them to use this in an ad? MB: Absolutely not. PM: Do you support Governor Perry at all? MB: I do not.
And for the final nail in the coffin -- the barber shop in the ad isn't even the barber shop Rick Perry goes to. He goes to a shop in Tarrytown. How many other small business owners does Rick Perry claim he has support from that actually don't support him? 11:14 am, 9/14 UPDATE: So yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported it was another barber who was the one who flipped the sign. Sure enough, it was. I got a call from Max, who was deeply apologetic -- he'd only seen the TV ad on my cell phone, when I brought it in, and he knows he's often the one that flips over the sign. He told me it was actually Jeremy Sheffield who turned the sign over. I called Jeremy, and he answered the questions the exact same way: Phillip Martin: Did you know they were going to be using your store in a television ad? Jeremy Sheffield: He said an ad for the Governor's office, but I didn't know it would be a political ad. I told him the owner doesn't like the store to be used in pictures or anything, and he told me that wouldn't show the name of the shop or be able to tell what it is. He said you would see the barber pole and the open sign and that's it. Obviously, that's not what happened. PM: Did you sign any paper work saying that it’s okay for them to use this in an ad? MB: No waivers. Nope. PM: Do you support Governor Perry at all? MB: No, I don't.
Some honest confusion -- Max was very sorry, but I appreciated his clarification and wanted to make sure the record was set straight here, as well. |
