11/13/2025
After 3 years of patient waiting and negotiating to rent the Acme Market Building here in Canandaigua, the owner, ANDREW GUFFEY (of A. Guffey Plumbing & Heating), abruptly decided to NOT rent to us, in order for us to re-open FORALL Theater here in Canandaigua.
I took him at his word, and believed him for 3 years, but i see now he never intended to rent the space to ANYONE and his word, sadly, means nothing.
Remember years ago when a person's word was their honor, and could be taken seriously?
We just gave him a free 3 year reprise from the city giving him a hard time about having a huge building on South Main, sitting empty for 20 years!
After 2 years of talking and waiting he said his lawyer was going to draft a lease 5 months ago. Then two months later he said there were changes that needed to be made and he would get me a copy "sometime".
That never happened and was never mentioned again.
Then last week he asked ME to write up a lease to give to his attorney.
Why was it my responsibility to draw up a lease?
Name one owner or landlord of a property who asks their potential renter/tenant to write the lease?
But I did, and told him that everything in my draft was just that, a DRAFT.
I told him I would change it to whatever he wanted.
But then he stated I changed "terms" on him, and he "did not want to be toyed with".
REALLY?
He hasalso stated in the past, multiple times to both Amy and I, that he doesn't care about the money. I even offered him a deposit last Sunday, prior to him even reviewing the lease, and he said it was not needed.
But then he says I was trying to change the cost of rent (which is what a lease would determine, and it is his job as a landlord to tell us what the rent will be).
I said we could change the DRAFT LEASE to whatever adjusted rent he wanted. Isn't that a normal procedure in rental negotiation?
He said "no, I'm not going to argue with you" (those of you who know me will find that funny, because do I "argue" with anyone)?
That's it.
No discussion possible. He stated it's "his building and he can do what he wants" and he said it's not going to happen.
I dropped off a proposal to him 3 years ago, and HE called ME back. Why? Because he was being pressured from the city to not have a huge empty building on the main thoroughfare. And talking to us would calm things down.
3 Years of waiting...
I wish he had said that 2 and a half years ago. Then I wouldn't have spent Thousands of dollars on lighting, chairs, and rental on a storage space, all in anticipation of this space becoming our Theater's home.
So he crushed our dreams with no real explanation or discussion.
Again I ask, what kind of person does that?
Everyone who warned us about Andrew Guffey turned out to be correct; unfortunately. But I stupidly had faith.
To quote Richard III: "I am too childish foolish for this world".
So now we are on the hunt for another space for our year-round theater...
Back to the start.
