Kalamazoo Business Owner “Quits” City in Full Page Newspaper Ad

Have you ever quit a job in a big way? How about quitting a city? A Kalamazoo business owner has "quit" Kalamazoo and took out an ad in the paper to let everyone know.

Joshua Garza was in the process of moving out of his apartment and needed a place to park his moving pods. Garza who is the owner of Outer Slant Media, a digital marketing company, stated he did not need a brick and mortar building as he's been working out of his apartment.

After parking his moving pods in a designated parking spot he allegedly received push-back from the city's parking contractor. Garza said the parking manager told him he had to move the pods or the police would be involved.

This is when Garza took out an ad in the local newspaper. This full-page paid advertisement appeared on Page A8 of the Sunday, February 6th Kalamazoo Gazette.

Part of the ad place by Garza said,

"Vacant lots line Michigan Ave, vacant apartments, and the only new business popping up are restaurants, but no pro-tech businesses, startups, or agencies are taking root here; and the reason must be what's taken me two years to realize: this place is backwards-stunted in its mindset to be something great. That's why I'm quitting Kalamazoo."

Kalamazoo responded to the ad. WWMT TV reports the City Manager, Jeff Chamberlain, said the city granted Garza's request to the parking contractor to let the pods remain.

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City Manager Chamberlain responded,

"Upon learning of Mr. Garza’s request to temporarily keep his storage pods in his parking space while moving on Jan. 19, the City Manager’s Office informed our parking contractor to grant the request."

Chamberlain said the city will meet with local businesses about what can potentially change downtown.

Garza has posted on his Facebook,

"Kalamazoo parking peeps pissed me off because they didn't let me park my moving pods in the back lot, so I took out a full-page ad in the Kalamazoo Gazette, haha and now it's making headlines."

Ben Lando, publisher of NowKalamazoo, stated on Facebook that Garzo has moved to Florida. He did quit Kalamazoo.