New wife voodoo dolls, “plus size open cup lingerie,” and AXES? Oh my!
On March 30, 2007, VIP requested a zoning permit to operate a “retail” store that would sell “clothing and other related items.” A lingerie shop, plus.
An article in today’s Hartford Courant details the application, and zoning officer Hellyn Riggins’ rejection of this recent application.
Nice try, Dom and company, but no one believes a.) that VIP sincerely intends to operate a 15,000 sq. ft. lingerie shop that the town would have to continually monitor to keep in compliance or b.) that operating a lingerie shop under the exact same name as your existing porn mega-store would alleviate the secondary effect of lowering property values. The customer-base, and everyone else would logically view it as another… VIP mega store.
According to the Courant article, products to be sold at VIP under the “new” application include: lip gloss, key chains, condoms, Playboy martini sets, Hustler swimwear, garter belts, “father of bride” buttons, “light up bra,” new wife voodoo doll, honeymoon survival kit, Kama Sutra body powder, shoulder pads, bath salts, incense burners, whoopee cushion, throwing knives, swords, “final fling koozie,” fishnet body wear, leather bustiers, “plus size open cup lingerie,” hangover kit, pheromone candles, Playboy Christmas ornaments and axes.
I have no idea what a “new wife voodoo doll” is, I’m guessing some sort of gag gift, along the lines of whoopie cushions. Kama Sutra body powder… OK, I can see that falling under the catagory of “other related items” to clothing.
What I wonder is how are “throwing knives,” “swords,” and “axes” related to these other items? They are not talking about plastic “costume” accessories. VIP carries a large assortment of real steel bladed cutlery. I find this to be odd. I find these items to be potentially dangerous. I do not want these items to be sold next door to my home.
If the VIP group is serious about wanting to “adjust” the use of the building they own in Berlin to an acceptable use retail business that neighbors would not oppose I have some suggestions.
1.) Use it for the Chef’s Equipment store. We would truly welcome that business.
2.) Come up with a new concept like a truly upscale woman friendly store that does not carry porn DVDs, or other items that many women find offensive or degrading. Come up with a TRUE romance store that is not “porn” related in any way. Market this store towards women specifically and make it like an upscale spa. Aim for women who would NOT even consider going to VIP. I think there is a market you are missing.
3.) Sell the building and find a location that is not abutting residential property.
Colin McEnroe supports porn shop
WTIC-AM 1080 Talk Radio host Colin McEnroe welcomed VIP General Manager Gary Porter as a guest on his show yesterday afternoon.
Although I am a regular listener of the show, I did not hear the broadcast first-hand. I did get several emails about show though, and the consensus was that Colin was clearly on the side of VIP, and feels that there would be no negative impact from having a sex shop (and he himself called it a sex shop) next door to my home.
I wrote McEnroe an email explaining that Berlin has a right to zone SOB’s and protect property values, and that I can not imagine that anyone faced with this potential neighbor would not fight it vigorously. I stated that I was disappointed that he had not bothered to interview me, Mayor Salina, or anyone else who’s life is effected by this situation, and that I felt he should have given us equal airtime. His producer wrote back saying if Colin wanted to put me on the show, he’d call me.
This New Britain Herald article sites that Porter “assured listeners that VIP stores are well-policed and that the chain “tries to be a good citizen.”
“We make sure customers must be 18 or older,” he said. He added that similar adult products are currently available in shopping malls.
Well, my trip to the Manchester VIP, reviewed in an earlier post, contradicts that “well-policed” claim, as well as the claim to making sure customers are 18 or older. I have yet to see videos in “Spencer Gifts” or any other mall store with titles like “Gang Bang that P_ssy,” “MILF’s Gone Anal,” or “Don’t Tell Mommy.”
The article then goes on to say ‘Still, McEnroe wondered what the fuss was all about.
“If you can’t do this on the Berlin Turnpike, I don’t know where you can,” he told Porter.’
My house can be seen to the right.
To get an idea of the layout of the neighborhood:
(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE) image courtesy Google Maps
The proposed VIP building is the big square to the right of the big green arrow. My house is the little square under it, to the right of the letters Cir. You can see how Woodruff Circle comes off the Berlin Turnpike and then curves. You can see another home directly behind VIP that is also very close.
VIP General Manager: “What did they expect?”
Tuesday evening, the day news was released about AG Blumenthal filing an “Amicus Curiae” about the VIP lawsuit against the town of Berlin, a news crew from channel 8 showed up at my door, asking for a response to the news. One of the reporters questions was did I think we would win in court now that the state was involved. I answered something to the effect that while I was feeling pretty confident, I would never want to be arrogant and say I was sure we would win.
Later, when watching the broadcast, I was appalled to see VIP general manager Gary Porter spouting off a comment that went something like “These people need to get real. They bought homes on the Berlin Turnpike… What did they expect?”
First of all, we don’t live ON the Berlin Turnpike, and neither is the entrance to the VIP parking lot on the Berlin Turnpike. I live on a residential side street that meets the Berlin Turnpike, leading into an entire neighborhood of streets. Even if I DID own a house on the Berlin Turnpike, were we supposed to EXPECT a 15,000 sq. ft. porn shop, and welcome it to the neighborhood? I will grant that the Berlin Turnpike is a commercial road, but there are many areas of this road, like shopping plazas, that do not come within 250′ of residential areas. There is ONE strip club, Centerfolds, which is in Berlin on the Berlin Tnpk., and ONE very, very small adult video store in Berlin on the Berlin Tnpk. Other clubs are located several miles down the pike in Meriden, and The Gentleman’s club in Newington. All of which I believe are not abutting residential property.
Mr. Porter is not the brightest bulb in the pack…
Here are a couple more gems he’s given the media:
From the New Britain Herald 11/17/06
“We’ll be helping the community, maybe not Berlin, but surrounding communities,” Porter said jokingly, “community service is what we’re all about.” and, the definition of sex positive is “a nice way of saying adult material aides.”
From WTNH 11/1/06
“We keep all our stores low profile,” says Gary Porter, VIP.
(See pic or store at post titled “Manchester VIP Experience”)
Porter also told the Hartford Courant 1/27/07
Porter genially called the cease-and-desist order part of “the minor hurdles, the bump and grind.” He also said that neighbors have been “harassing” them through phone calls to the police.
I made one call to report a tractor trailer was being unloaded at the back of the store 2 days after they illegally put up signs and were being issued a cease and desist order.
Porter has continually made ridiculous remarks to the media. I actually thing we, the neighbors, have been pretty restrained. For example, none of us said anything to the media about owner Dominick DeMartino also owning the Chef’s Equipment Emporium in Wallingford, because we have hoped he would decide to put a Chef’s in the Berlin location instead of VIP. I even sent Silver a letter suggesting that we would welcome Chef’s. After several attempts to interview the owner failed, the Berlin Citizen did give a brief mention of this.
Some people might not want to give their business to people who promote pornography. What do you expect? “When you lie down with dogs, you get fleas.”
It’s about the ZONING
Click to enlarge this VIP billboard from September 2006.
Whether or not I personally approve of pornography, sex toys, or any other aspects of what a sexually-oriented business is selling has nothing to do with why I oppose VIP opening next door to my home. This is also not some snobbish “NIMBY” Not In My Backyard attitude. These businesses should not be in ANYONE’S backyard.
I have heard some people say that stores like this have no right to exist. That is not true. Stores like this have a legal right to exist. But they do not have a right to exist within 250 feet of residential property in the town of Berlin, CT.
In the billboard shown here, VIP advertises the sale of “adult toys,” and then dubbs itself CT’s Largest Adult Store. Adult stores fall under SOB ordinances. Shortly after this photo was taken, all versions of this billboard came down and were replaced with ones that were careful not to mention “adult toys” or being an “adult store.” That is because they decided to declare themselves a “romance shop” to get around the SOB ordinance.
Although the Court has upheld, as a matter of constitutional right, the sale, lease, or rental of non-obscene, sexually oriented materials or services, the court has stated that communities have the right to regulate SOBs in order to minimize or eliminate the adverse secondary effects commonly associated with these types of businesses.
It is now up to a judge to decide.
Manchester VIP experience
(Click to enlarge photo) Shown above is the Manchester VIP in Sept. 06 before the signage was put up.
A VIP general manager named Rick Lederman, quoted on AVN, an adult entreprenuer news website, had this to say about the Manchester store: “We sell everything that has to do with adult… We carry about 20,000-plus titles of DVDs. We carry probably every major toy company, every toy out there. Smoking accessories, full lingerie department, shoes, novelties, gags, lotions, oils — the full gamut. Pretty much everything out there. … It’s gonna be very eye catching, very eye appealing. We’ve got marble floors that we flew in from Italy. That type of concept.…If it was up to me, I’d like to have one of these in every state.”
Attorney Daniel Silver states in his lawsuit against the town of Berlin that “VIP should be considered a ‘romance shop’ rather than a sex shop, because it caters mostly to women and couples ‘who wish to enhance their love lives,’ and not to single men.”
So I decided to see for myself if this “upscale, tastefully designed store” (according to Silver) really is as “romantic” as Dan Silver claims.
1. In November, shortly after their grand opening, I went to the Manchester VIP with a friend and two 19 year old college students, who were not asked for ID upon entering.
2. To the left is a very large area that is lingerie, costumes and shoes-the kind with 10″ heels, etc. and boots. The space devoted to this is in fact much more than in the Hartford store.
3. To the right (there is a long, runway style floor going down the length of the center of the store…) are gag items, bachlorette party items, t-shirts, candy, greeting cards, posters, etc. and a magazine isle. Some of the magazine titles inc. “Terrible Teen,” “Young & Tight,” “Barely Legal,” “New C_nts,” “Spanker’s Guide,” “Love Bondage” and a variety of “niche” fetish magazine like plus size women, couples, older, etc.
4. Off of this area is an entire room devoted to drug paraphernalia, bongs of all sizes (I mean some where 2 feet tall!) and steel bladed knives and daggars. This room is set up like an art gallery. It is 2 levels high (like the upper displays are their priceless museum pieces.) This room is approx. 16′ x 30′
5. On this same side of the store next is an area displaying leather goods, leather outfits, harnesses and bondage items.
6. Going farther back, on the left side of the store, is the “Toy/Novelty/Sexual Aide” section. There is isle after isle of vibrators, dildos, blow up dolls, the “Hustler Virtual Girl Doll,” rubber female parts, specialty equipment (? don’t know how else to put it!)
7. To the opposite side of the store is the DVD/Video section. This section is easily the size of Berlin’s Blockbuster Video, if not larger. Here are a few of the “Romantic” movie titles: (These are titles that didn’t have actual swear words in them)
WARNING: SOME OF THESE TITLES ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!
“Torture of Pixie,” “Gag Factor.” ” Teens for Cash,” “MILF’s Gone Anal,” (MILF is an acronym for Mother’s I’d Like to F___) “Labor of Love” this was a series of pregnant porn, “Backend Bi-Boys,” “Gang Bang that P_ssy” – volumes 1-8!!! “Over 40 and Still Gang-banging,” -gang bang is in scores of other titles as well, “Screw my Wife, Please!,” “Interracial Throat Bangers,” “Pain Threshhold,” “Guys Who Suck Their Own C_cks” -I could not make this stuff up!, “Facial Frenzy,” “The Violation of Aurora Snow: A Lesbian Gang Bang,” “Don’t Tell Mommy,” “Little Girl Next Door,”-I think this is the scariest as my 4 year old may wind up being the little girl next door to them!
8. While there, one of our group needed to use the restroom, but they don’t have public restrooms (a good thing, actually) so she and another decided to run to McDonald’s. They called from a cell phone from the parking lot, where they encountered a couple, in a “passionate exchange” on the ground between our car and theirs! I ran out to see, (and try to get a picture) but by the time I got out there, they were gone. It didn’t occur to me at the time to report this to the police. This was 3pm on a Sunday. So much for their parking lot security!
Lest anyone think we are making a big deal out of nothing… This is no “Romance” Shop, this is a porn shop. And it is open M-Th 9:00am – 12 midnight; Fri. & Sat. 9:00am until 2:00am!!! and Sun 11:00am – 10pm
I don’t know about you, but if my husband brought home any of the movie titles above, it would NOT enhance our “romance.”
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For those of you looking for info about VIP from a different perspective (and based on my web search stats, many of you are –although I think other than my movie reviews, my run down is fairly neutral on store content) here is a review of the Hartford VIP from another blogger.
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