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March 29, 2003Central Lake party store owner says 'au revoir' to French productsFrench owner dislikes nation's stance on IraqByRecord-Eagle staff writer CENTRAL LAKE - Bill Charbonneau says he knows one small party store owner in a small village isn't going to cause shock waves in Paris. "I just felt I needed to do something, so I did," he said. Irritated by France's opposition to the U.S. effort in Iraq, Charbonneau, owner of Loose Change Party Store on West Old State Road, has pulled all French products from his store's shelves. His liquor display features several spaces now, each with a small sign indicating the product that was pulled, such as Grand Marnier or Grey Goose Vodka. Gone, too, is the Perrier and Evian bottled water. Fifteen products in all, he said. A French boycott, by a guy named Charbonneau? "I'm fourth-generation French," the store owner said. "If anybody's got the right to use 'the B-word' (boycott), it's me." Charbonneau, who says he is not a "political guy," began his boycott shortly before Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced. "I've been watching it as it has gone along, and France has fought us tooth-and-nail on this," he said. "If they had shown a little solidarity with us, maybe we wouldn't have to be there." Charbonneau said he thinks Saddam Hussein was emboldened by the French-led opposition to the American and British position on disarming Iraq. Though nations such as Germany and Russia are also opposed to the war, he said they haven't seemed to disagree with the vehemence, or worked as actively against America, as the French. "The French seem to be on a vendetta," he said. "As much as we have done for them ... it almost seems like a hate thing. It was more than just a difference of opinion." The pulled products amount to more than $1,300 in inventory, which Charbonneau said he cannot return. Customer support for the boycott has been almost unanimous, he said. Mike Losee, a local resident and party store customer, said he supports Charbonneau's stance. The French undermined the Americans, Losee said. "I think it's great," he said. "God bless our troops. I've got a couple of guys I graduated with over there." A spokeswoman with the French Consulate in Chicago said efforts such as Charbonneau's don't just hurt their intended targets; they may end up hurting Americans. Press attaché Pascale Furlong said most distributors of boycotted products will be Americans. "It's more counter-productive than anything else," she said, noting the French had not ruled out the eventual use of force in Iraq but believe action now is premature. She said the relationship between the two countries "might be a little bit rocky right now, but we will make it through." Charbonneau said he will continue to say "au revoir" to French products until the nation apologizes to the United States, or "until something changes."
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