By Shelley Gillespie | Special for The Arizona Republic
Balloons, banners, pennants and streamers often are a boon for business, except when Tempe judges them to be an eyesore and a code violation.
Caught in his attempt to attract business and maintain his family barbershop’s adherence to Tempe’s sign codes, Dan Armijo of Nash’s Valley Fair Barber Shop, whose business has been in Tempe for a half century, is frustrated.
Nash’s, 115 E. Southern Ave., in a strip center at the southeastern corner of Southern and Mill avenues, is not easy to see from the street.
Armijo complains that the city code is too restrictive regarding temporary signs that he has tried to use.
Many neighboring store owners have the same difficulty, they say.
“For 50 years, we have held on in business here, but the city won’t let us advertise,” Armijo said. “They called it an eyesore when I put up a sign. They say you can’t fight City Hall, but aren’t we on the same side?”
