I want to clarify one thing, I didn't even know who the owner of Skål Public House was until AFTER I started this petition. This petition was started because in general new restaurants always get bullied in this town, and it needs to stop. 

When someone buys a business like The Grumpy Troll, they are purchasing a spot for tourists, a spot with a reputation for being busy and bringing in a lot of money- I know that, because I worked there. Owning the Grumpy Troll is comfortable- especially if you have capital from out of town to back up any losses that might accrue. 

Skål is run by an independent business owner, that can't afford to lose the patio. And while I do think that The Grumpy Troll is in the wrong and has a conflict of interest in this issue (stomping out a serious competitor). Just because it looks that way, doesn't mean it is that way. So, I want to be fair. 

After talking to the owner of the Grumpy Troll, I'd like to share her reasons for objecting to voting on the subject. My goal is to promote this petition in as fair a way as possible. But let me be clear: I still support Skal Public House getting a lease for the alleyway, in order to use it fulltime.

This quote is directly from Robin Pharo, who was the founder and President of Treysta Group, LLC, a Madison based business. She owns both The Grumpy Troll and Sugar Troll along with her husband, who is a Mt Horeb native. This statement was lightly edited for clarification purposes. 

"Our position is - We, at Grumpy Troll - aren’t against [Skal Public House] using the alley completely. But we were opposed to holding a vote in the issue at that meeting for many reasons.

1. The Board packet contained no details about the proposed lease ie - who controls the street, how long the lease runs, etc.

2. None of the affected businesses were talked to or even told in advance. We wanted a chance to learn more and maybe have Skal and Trail This find a compromise.

3. We also wanted the opportunity afforded Skal to be consistent for other businesses who want to use alleys (petitioners note: as in, they want to set a precedent for future alley use, for all alleys). We believe it should be a Village rule and applied to all businesses."

Petitioner Opinion:

Those are fair things to bring up. I will be watching the meeting, to make sure the petition accurately represents what happened (not that I don't believe anyone, I just want everyone to be fairly represented). I will also reach out to Trail This for comment.

I did ask the Grumpy Troll what they, or Trail This would use the space for. The Grumpy Troll insisted that their mention of bidding on the lease was hypothetical (although when watching the video, that is something I personally would not have caught), and their intention is to be good neighbors to all. They made no comment about what Trail This would do with the space, and after asking three times with no response at all to that question, I figured I'll go to Trail This and gave up.

Edit: I did reach out to Trail This and they declined to have any comments published. 

What I can say, is that the alley is only used for personal vehicles or small delivery trucks, since, legally, nothing bigger than a small delivery van can go down 16ft future patio area. Semi trucks do not fit down that alley, which I personally know from working at the Grumpy Troll when I was 14. I can, with clear conscience say that neither business has use of the patio are, nor would they change it into something more useful. 

I was asked to take down the petition by The Grumpy Troll, but I will not. 

Thank you to all who have signed this. At this point, I ask you to be civil, but please do share the petition so this key space can be utilized in the most logical way possible. We are here to support Skal Public House keeping the alley for disability accessible and socially distanced seating that enriches the downtown atmosphere. 

Thank you for your time,

KT Rose-Gold