There was no note, no explanation, nothing.

But a mysterious early-morning weekend delivery left some London business owners puzzled.

Their sandwich sign boards — taken by the city in a bylaw crackdown — reappeared outside their doors.

“It was quite a shock, I’ll tell you,” said Gord Mood, owner of comic book store L.A. Mood., who heard from an employee the sign was propped up against the wall when they came into work Saturday.

“It’s very odd.” said Troy Hutchison, owner of the Grooves Record Store, who arrived at work to find his sign waiting for him.

“It’s very strange,” he said. “We don’t know who returned it.”

What Hutchison does know from reviewing security video, is that an unmarked vehicle pulled up and someone put the sign in front of the door at about 1:36 a.m.

Just who returned the signs, and why at such a strange hour, was not immediately clear Sunday.

Calls and emails to the city’s bylaw office were not returned, and efforts to contact the chief bylaw officer were unsuccessful.

Counc. Virginia Ridley, chair­person of the city’s community and protective services committee, said it was an operational decision to return the signs, not a decision of the committee or council. Council hasn’t met since the signs were seized, she said.

Earlier this month, city hall scooped up sandwich-board signs on the sidewalk in an enforcement crackdown. The move drew complaints about heavy-handed tactics and the city creating the wrong environment for small business.

More than 60 signs were confiscated and businesses sent letters from the city saying they have 30 days to get their signs back, if they pay a $175 fine, plus a daily $4 storage fee. Some called the city’s move a “bully tactic.”

But while some businesses had their signs returned, without a word or a fine, others are still waiting to get back their low-cost advertising to draw in traffic.

Kayla Gibbens, the owner of UberCool Stuff on Carling Street, is upset by the way the city is treating her and other business owners.

“(The city’s) attitude toward it has just been really hurtful,” she said. “You would expect a bit more support.”

The signage scoop also hurt the bottom line for businesses, many of which are independent, said Gibbens.

Mood and Hutchison won’t be putting their signs back on the sidewalk, at least for now.

“I’m happy they returned it,” said Mood. “I just would like some communication . . . We’re going to make sure all the paperwork is done and then we’re going to put it out.”

alalani@postmedia.com

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