It’s Never The Right Time To Be “Sexy” In A Community

With all the attention “50 Shades of Grey” is getting, it’s no wonder adult novelty shops have been drumming up more business over the past couple of years. Even if you’re a guy who has no interest in the erotic trilogy – or the recent release of the long-anticipated movie trailer – you’ll definitely be interested in knowing that a sex shop exists right in your community!

When news broke that a sex shop opened on Flatbush Avenue - 'Sexy Wonders Adult Boutique' - I didn’t know which position to take. I don’t agree with having a raunchy adult shop setting up on a busy commercial strip, but where are these businesses going to operate where no one will object or start a war?

 
The shop on Flatbush Avenue isn’t exactly secretive - with pink walls all over that show from the outside - and a display window with TONS of novelty items. If the owner wanted to sell some sexy items in the back of the store and attract those erotica-driven customers, they could have simply kept the name consistent with the other items they sell, which include tobacco pipes, grinders and scales, hookahs and vaporizers. WOW! What a winning combination for a romantic evening!

I understand they’re trying to get one hell of a party going, but this store is located near a public library and within a mile radius of at least three public schools. Do you want your child walking past a sex shop – seeing items used in “50 Shades of Grey” – and asking how they’re used? If you didn’t think you’d have to have a talk with your kids about the birds and the bees just yet, they might be provoked to ask quite a few things after passing the enticing store.

A somewhat safe alternative would have been to sell community-friendly items at the front of the store and NOT give it a name that would connote sexual merchandise. Making a section in the back of the store, simply designated “For Adults Only,” might suffice.

We know there are residents who want to have a sexy time – and thanks to the internet, people don’t have to step foot inside of a store to buy dirty goodies – whether it’s for a bachelor/bachelorette party or to spice things up (again, thanks to “50 Shades,” which reportedly helped the adult novelty business take off).

Let’s get real! Where in Brooklyn will residents find it acceptable to establish a sex shop? And where do all the mega-sexy people go? Conservatives and liberals will probably agree that sexual freedom has no place in any small community – since there’s really no viable, sensible and acceptable place for an adult novelty shop to operate.

Everywhere you go, residential properties are popping up and more families are moving into Brooklyn. Neighborhoods like Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Red Hook are growing, with community leaders and developers trying to attract families and reputable businesses. Is there room – anywhere – for a racy shop that caters to the needs of adults who aren’t shy enough to buy fuzzy handcuffs and latex…anything?  For residents who don’t want to travel outside the community for novelty items, crazy costumes and perverted party goods – where are their rights to shop?

You don’t have to be a prude to object to a business that’s in the worst possible location – too close to the legal zoning limits set forth by the city. Proprietors have been known to set up x-rated shops in places where they’re outside of the legal zoning – so what locations in our community are within legal limits?

According to reports, a law passed in 1995 banned sex shops within 500 feet of schools, residences, day-care centers, churches and other houses of worship. A New York Times article from 1998, during former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration, stated that “law violated the owners' constitutional rights to free speech because it would force them to relocate outside of Manhattan or to sites that are uninhabitable, perhaps driving them out of business entirely.”

These days, where can you set up any business in the city where you’re not within 500 feet of a school, daycare center, church, residence etc. We have more churches, schools and daycare centers than we’ve ever had before. 

Getting your freak on back in the days meant you could open an x-rated store in a somewhat empty industrial area far away from “innocent and immaculate” institutions (if you can call them ‘innocent’ – these days it seems there are more x-rated things being spoken about in our schools than in some swanky sex shop!).

Nothing is going to satisfy residents, business owners, politicians or those effervescent romantics who want to feed their fetishes. Giving adult shop entrepreneurs a list of locations they can legally and inoffensively set up shop is something to consider – depending on how much rent they can afford and how far they’re willing to travel to open up their store.  Getting anal about an inappropriate business will never be a thing of the past, but we’re sure hoping disrespectful business owners will be a thing of the past!

**As of summer 2016, business went limp and the sex shop closed indefinitely...