Perhaps the customer was looking for a color copier.

Regardless, the black and white skunk had to be shown the doorwhen he visited a downtown Brookhaven office supply businessThursday afternoon.

“We skipped kind of lightly around him,” said Harmon Shirley,owner of Southern Office Products.

With recent dry weather, the skunk had found a home in a sewerpipe until Thursday’s rain came and flushed him out, said JohnSkaines, biologist with the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries andParks.

“He was looking for a place to go,” Skaines said. “The store wasa good place, I guess.”

Skaines said the skunk entered the store while employees whereunloading items from a delivery truck. Shirley said a neighbor sawthe skunk enter and alerted him.

Shirley said the skunk hid under a copier and did not want tocome out. After arriving at the scene, Police Capt. Roger Wilsonsuggested rolling the copier, with the skunk moving with it, outthe door.

“The skunk eased out from under it and went on up the street,”Shirley said.

The skunk made his way up to Imagi-Nations and SouthernGraphics, where he was cornered between the two businessentrances.

Skaines said authorities placed a box in a corner and thenbacked off. A pole was used to corral the critter before he wastaken out of town and released.

Harmon said his business was blessed and lucky the skunk did notspray in the store. It was, nevertheless, an interesting visit.

“It was quite an ordeal around here for a while,” Shirleysaid.

Skaines said skunks in town are common. Whether or not theyspray depends on their personality.

“Some spray at the drop of a hat,” Skaines said. “He was one ofthe calm ones.”