Guilty islander puts the 'C' back into TLC

Thursday 09 March 2017

A local shop owner has praised “the power of social media” after her store’s sign, which was allegedly stolen by a drunken islander, was miraculously returned.

Brontey Luxo-Piazza, founder of the Bath Street-based Loving Chair Company (TLC), took to Facebook on Tuesday to lament the work of a "muppet" who had ripped the 'C' from her TLC wall sign over the weekend.

“I did a Facebook post encouraging people to spread the word. I definitely didn’t think we’d get it back, but I just thought that we’d just raise awareness that it had happened,” she told Express.

The post soon went viral, with hundreds of islanders blasting the “thoughtless” and “disrespectful” person behind the “bad prank”.

Pictured: The Loving Chair Company's storefront after parter of the sign was "ripped off the wall".

While the Police had pledged to investigate weekend CCTV footage in the area, the sign mysteriously reappeared yesterday afternoon – fully attached to the wall again.

“We were off getting lunch, and on the walk back, noticed that it had been put back. So overnight someone’s glued it back… We couldn’t believe it," Ms Luxo-Piazza said.

According to the chair repair specialist, the perpetrator was likely to be a nighttime reveller who woke up with more than a hangover the morning after the theft.

Pictured: Brontey Luxo-Piazza, founder of the Loving Chair Company.

"I think somebody had had a few too many drinks over the weekend, thought they could be a bit of a legend and actually it’s probably been in their bedroom, with them thinking, 'Oh my God, what have I done?'...They've probably done something a bit silly, and not really meant to, but at least they did have a conscience," she added.

It's not the first time that drunken islanders have upset the Bath Street store team with their antics, however.

"Quite a few Mondays after the weekend, we're cleaning up sick from outside the shop, but we've never had any damage luckily. This has been the first bit."

Pictured: Ms Brontey-Piazza and her mum, Alex, who jointly founded the company in 2015.

The family-run company are now praising the public for spreading the social media TLC that helped to bring about the 'C's safe return. 

"It was commissioned by a local artist last year, so it was a bit more than your average sign - it was something we really liked so we're really happy to have it back.

"Thank you to everyone who shared the post so many times. It's restored our faith in humanity."