Eyewitness News has new information tonight about a patio furniture fight in


Collierville. It’s a story eyewitness news first told you about last September.

Furniture store owner Bob Landshof will spend the next ten days in jail because he refused to remove merchandise from the front of his store.

He says, “It feels lousy. I mean, this is prison.”

He adds, “I don’t think the court of public opinion would approve of what’s going on.”

A judge sentenced the Fox Land Furniture store owner to jail for contempt of court last Thursday.

The judge ruled Landshof violated a town of Collierville zoning ordinance prohibiting the outdoor display of merchandise.

Landshof had removed all but a few statutes and other items from his storefront.

When we first aired this story in September 2013, Landshof had a cluttered storefront full of patio furniture and lawn ornaments.

Landshof says, “When I had patio furniture, it was not debatable, I had 25 patio sets and several water fountains, that was an obvious issue, that I completely removed.”

Assistant Collierville City Attorney Mark McDaniel says Landshof should have removed every item from outside the front of his store.

He also says Landshof was first ordered to removed store front items from Fox Lane furniture’s exterior more than two years ago.

McDaniel says, “It may be silly to some people, but city orders are to be heard and respected. It doesn’t seem silly to the city that a business owner would choose to continually be in contempt of the town code and be in contempt of court orders.”

McDaniel says even if you don’t like a town ordinance, you still have to follow the rules.

McDaniel adds, “The bitterness is on Mr. Landshof’s part, it would appear, because he chooses not to follow the law, and now he must suffer the consequences.”

Landshof says the town of Collierville is singling him out. He also believes the ordinance against outdoor displays that ended up landing him in jail will ultimately be proved to be unconstitutional.

Landshof says, “Do I feel any guilt in what I’m doing? Absolutely not. The Collierville ordinance is vindictive and selectively enforced.”

There is one statute still standing outside Fox Lane Furniture. It has a paper bag over its head.

For Landshof, it is a symbol of protest. He says the fight over his furniture display is far from over.

We wanted to talk to the judge who sentenced Bob Landshof to ten days in jail and about four thousand dollars in fines.

However, Collierville Municipal Court Judge William Craig Hall’s assistant told us he does not comment on his decisions.