Please boycott Clownin Around Magic on Granville Island's Kids Market
I was in with my 6 year old daughter in Granville Island today, and we stopped into "Clowning Around Magic". The owner (I assume, a middle aged Chinese man) shoved a toy camera into her hands, and asked her to take a picture of me. We all thought it was fun and games, so she went ahead and pressed the button. But it was a trick camera and it squirted her with water in her eye. We were both shocked. The owner didn't warn us at all, and my daughter was quite shocked embarrassed and started crying after we quickly left the store. I just don't think it's cool for an adult to play such a prank on a little kid. At the very most, he should have put it into an adult's hands (like mine) and show the kids the prank that way - perhaps even have the camera squirt at himself to poke fun at himself and show off the toys in his shop. But instead, it put a damper on an otherwise beautiful sunny holiday weekend at Granville Island.
The owner didn't even realize that what he did was wrong. After my niece was crying for a while outside the store, I went back in and asked him to apologize to her. He did so, and in fairness, he did so sincerely. But he didn't even realize what he did was wrong until I pointed it out. I think that just shows poor judgement in his part.
I'll certainly never visit this store again, and I'd encourage others to stay away to avoid potentially similar unpleasant experiences for your little ones. read more