Slopers Want “We Buy Gold” Flashing Sign to Cash Out

All that glitters is not gold.  

A new Ninth Street gold for cash business has made a flash with its bright sign that has its neighbors flickering with complaints.

“I think it is so crazy, I feel like I woke up in Atlantic City some place drunk,” said Andres Despres, who walked out of an apartment building next to the shop between Fifth and Sixth avenues one night. “It has made me think of this street differently. I am hoping that it doesn’t last.”

We Buy Gold, which opened in late January, buys gold by the ounce, at $1,700.

It’s sign is a large, elaborate flashing display of color changing words (“We Buy Gold” transitions from red, to fuchsia, to purple, to blue), has gold arches, a giant green money sign and a scrolling ticker that reads: “Nobody Pays More, Cash Now!”

But the real issue at hand is that the sign was put up illegally, according to Craig Hammerman, the district manager of Community Board 6.

“We contacted the Department of Buildings and confirmed that the sign was placed illegally,” Hammerman said.

He explained that the owner, Daniel Chanukah, did not apply for a permit from the Department of Buildings to install the gaudy sign.   

Currently, there are two complaints alleging that the signage is illegal on the DOB website.

Hammerman said that when the sign was installed last month, he received a “flurry of E-mails” from six residents complaining about how bright the blinking, bling-buying shop’s sign is, complete with photos and videos.

Now, he said, CB6 is waiting for the DOB’s report. But he says the eyesore may remain, for the city agency does not remove illegal signs, they only issue fines for code violations, which could cost Chanukah hundreds of dollars.

“Just because the DOB was out there, doesn’t mean it will disappear,” Hammerman explained. “It’s up to the responsible party to apply for a permit to legalize the sign.” 

But even then, he said, the DOB may rule that the sign is too big to be legal. 

The owner could not be reach for comment by phone or in person after stopping by the shop twice.

However, an employee said that they are aware of the community’s sentiment towards their lights and have made some compromises to appease their neighbors.

“After a few people told us that the light was bothering them we started turning it off at night,” an employee said who did not want to give his name. “Out of respect to the people, we turn it off at night.”

He continued, “We want to make them happy, we don’t want to make a big deal here.”

The sign burns bright from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Saturday. Last Friday, an employee pulled the plug at 6:40 p.m.

But the fact remains: the light is bright.

“[There is] a huge gaudy, flashing, illuminated sign that many find hideous,” John Casson, a Park Slope resident, wrote in an E-mail to Patch. “Some think it’s by far the most garish sign in Park Slope.”

What do you think? Should the sign’s plug be pulled? Make sure to vote in the poll below!