A Douglas axe-throwing and live music venue has hit out after an ornamental lamp was damaged during a private 18th birthday party.
Mad Jack’s, on South Quay, said around half of the decorative lamp’s beer cans had been removed from its structure and crushed by hand during an event on Friday night.
The venue shared photographs of the lamp on social media on Saturday morning, explaining that it had been made several years ago by one of its regular customers as an unsolicited gift.
The lamp features a hand-carved wooden base in the shape of Mad Jack’s mascot, with a decorative shade made from metal chains and used Beavertown IPA cans.
Mad Jack’s said the item had held pride of place in its booth area ever since it was given to the business.
In its post, the venue said it was particularly frustrated because the cans had been attached to the lamp and were clearly part of the decoration.
It said: ‘Not once in all the years we’ve had what is quite obviously an ornamental lamp has anyone mistaken this for a free serving of drinks, most probably because they are literally attached to a lightbulb.’
The business also claimed the person it believed was responsible subsequently left a one-star Google review after returning home from the event, and said it had included the review and its response in the social media post.
Mad Jack’s said it was not normally inclined to publicly complain about incidents of damage or theft, but described running a small hospitality business as ‘incredibly tough’.
The venue said its team members all work separate Monday-to-Friday office jobs alongside running Mad Jack’s and stressed the importance of its online reputation in attracting visitors to the island.
It also highlighted that it has received a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice award in each of the past few years.
The business ended its post by directly addressing the person it believed was responsible, saying it hoped they would eventually look back on the incident and recognise how much they had ‘grown and learned as a person’.