Today we hear that he’s had to close his shop because of the backlash to his anti-gay-marriage stance. Even though I think that was a bone-headed move, I think we did small business owners a great disservice with the pile-on. The whole thing also makes me nervous, because it reminds me of the cakes I’ve ‘opted out’ of at Butter Lane. You get some pretty crazy, mostly pornographic requests for bachelor/bachelorette partes – and there have been a few I just didn’t feel comfortable asking our bakers to write. I know this is very different ball of wax than discriminating against a whole category or class… but my nervousness remains.
I think this is a good chance to talk about the business we CAN turn away. Let’s face it: that’s one of of the glorious things about being an SBO: control over your working environment. So, yes, I sometimes turn down porn cakes that gross me out, or requests from rude and/or difficult customers. (That means you, complaining UWS lady who never tips.) So here’s my vote: why don’t we focus on the discriminatory laws that matter, and that we do respect – and stop yelling at the pizza guy.