Dear Mark

Yes, I come out into the new year, swinging. Or tilting at windmills, take your pick ;)



Dear Mark F-

You are making a fool of yourself within the community. Really, seriously. Who wants to support these activities:

Trash talking any other hay seller
Bad mouthing anyone who you consider to be "competition"
Flagging off any ad on CL you deem to be from an "enemy"
Threatening phone calls and emails

Readers, keep this background in mind-Mark is the guy who has swept a local woman off her feet....away from her husband, shortly after they restarted a local feed store.

Mark is the guy who professed to own a boarding place (but didn't) and found it so lucrative that he didn't bother to manage the horses there very well (which is how I ended up with a couple, and another great boarding place ended up with some too-all in very poor condition) Eventually his operation was shut down when the property owners insisted. He still owes people refunds which will never be recovered-most were just happy to get their horses back, alive.

Mark must stay busy, flagging off ads placed on the local CL. Hardly an ad for horse blankets, boarding, or hay for sale can stay up for more than a day. And yes I have this on pretty solid information that he does, indeed, flag anyone he sees as competition. Because, you see, he thinks this is how he increases cash flow, and gets revenge at the same time.

Mark is the guy who is so convinced everyone is out to get him, that he stopped advertising in our only state wide horse publication in protest. Why? Because the publisher brought up one (Just one!!!) van load of hay, and sold the excess. I think this is about the time they moved from one really bad location to another......a new place that the woman's ex bought for her.

Now, you have moved from one crappy location where you didn't pay the rent, to another place seemingly purchased by your girlfriends' ex husband. (or at least that's the rumor going around) You don't advertise any of this, either. Your sales are down because no one can find you. Your sales are down because people will make moral judgements about your actions. Your sales are down because people don't like you, however much they like your way better half. Dude, what are you thinking here? Of course, you aren't thinking, that much is obvious. Sigh.

I just have to wonder, as a man, how do you justify this in your mind?

Oh right, you don't.

Instead you live in a bubble of paranoia, threatening anyone and everyone.

I would still be spending money with you, if I knew where you were, what your hours were, and most importantly-when you wouldn't be there. Have I mentioned you generally put people on edge? I've heard that from a number of others, and I presume they too, feel the same unease. It's a shame, because moving the store and dropping all advertising, has done nothing but boost sales at the big store. I am sure they appreciate the bump on their bottom line.

And threatening boarders, customers, the competition? That isn't going to help you in the long run.

And for the rest of you who have read so far and are shaking your head, thinking "tsk, tsk, that was not nice at all!" might I remind you that I too, get asked for hay. And grain. And tack. And other supplies-sometimes from people in distress. I cannot refer them to Bullseye Feed if I don't know where they are! "Palmer somewhere" just won't work....and with no advertisement in the Alaska Horse Journal, I can only suggest AFW.

Really, it's his own fault.