Goodman Touts Anti-OSH Petition

"We're going to fight, there's no doubt about it."

That was the response from spokesman Harld Abend as news spread last week of Orchard Supply Hardware’s possible arrival in the  in Tam Valley. Goodman officials took their first steps this week to to open in the 23,000-square-foot space in the heart of Tam Junctions, launching a petition campaign dubbed "Put the kibosh on OSH."

The petition is directed at the Parrish Trust, which owns the land, leasing agent Robert Knez, the CEO of HL Commercial Real Estate, as well as the Marin County Planning Commission and the Marin County Board of Supervisors. It asks supporters to pledge, "I do not want an Orchard Supply Hardware at the former Delano’s Market location in Tam Junction.
It will hurt many local businesses and is not what I want to see at that location."

Abend said the idea behind the petition was to both gauge community support for Goodman, which celebrates its 57th year in Mill Valley in May, and to rally fellow local businesses who could take a hit with OSH's arrival, including ,  and the .

“A big operation like Orchard is a real threat for any other operation that does something similar, so it’s definitely a threat to us,” said Zviki Govrin, general manager at Goodman. “In some ways, it’s life and death for us. They have the money and if they decide to kill us, they probably could kill us.”

Abend said Goodman officials will also monitor the two online petitions created by Tam Valley resident Mark Marinozzi. One of them invokes the community’s need for a grocery store in the space at 209 Flamingo Road and the other urges one prospective grocery tenant to move into Tam Valley. They've collectively garnered nearly 380 signatures to date.

For more on the community response to Orchard Supply Hardware's possible arrival in Tam Valley, .