Replacements Limited, a North Carolina based company selling replacements for china, silverware, and crystal, got hammered by its customer base for taking a stand on behalf of gay marriage and against the ban amendement, according to
this New York Times article. Excerpt:
The company lobbied legislators, contributed money to causes supporting gay marriage, rented a billboard along the interstate near its headquarters, and sold T-shirts at its showroom. Its experience may explain why no other for-profit company followed its example.
[...several examples of customers writing in to say they won't patronize the company anymore...]
Andrew Spainhour, Replacement’s general counsel and a member of the steering committee that organized opposition to the amendment, tried to recruit other businesses. “I had a lot of phone calls and e-mails that weren’t returned,” he said. “If I did have a conversation, they’d say, ‘Gosh, we can’t do this, we can’t go out on a limb.’ There’s a tremendous amount of fear.”
They've lost money and income by standing up for what's right. More importantly, they're being showcased as an example of what can happen to a company that stands up for gay rights in a conservative state.
So, basically, this is a PSA. I need to figure out what set of sterling I inherited from my grandma and see about getting more forks.