14
COURIER LIFE, MARCH 25-31, 2022
BY BEN BRACHFELD
The Clinton Hill sex shop at the
center of a stiff neighborhood controversy
will engage in dialogue
with concerned local residents,
after a planned protest of the shop
was met by a hot-and-heavy crowd
of counterprotesters.
Brooklyn Paper prematurely
declared the situation to have climaxed
on March 16, after locals
made clear at an 88th Precinct
Community Council meeting
their hopes to evict Romantic Depot
from its new location at Fulton
Street and Washington Avenue,
the sexy chain’s first retail
outlet in Kings County.
In reality, the situation climaxed
the morning of March 18, when
the planned protest by concerned
locals, to be led by the Rev. Kevin
McCall, was significantly outnumbered
by supporters of the store.
McCall and Romantic Depot
regional managing director
Glenn Buzzetti said they had
reached an agreement for the
business to engage in constructive
community dialogue with
local residents after arriving on
the corner, formerly a check-cashing
store, on Valentine’s Day last
month with little prior notice.
The store has already started
to address community concerns,
painting over a mural of Biggie
Smalls, the legendary late rapper
who grew up in Clinton Hill, after
locals argued that the use of
his image was disrespectful to
the artist’s legacy.
Nonetheless, Buzzetti says
that one of the central claims
brought forth by opponents, that
his store is in violation of city
zoning code as an adult establishment
within 500 feet of two
churches and a mosque, has been
officially declared flaccid. He
Supporters of Romantic Depot rally at the new Clinton Hill location on March 18. Photo by Ben Brachfeld
said the Department of Buildings
came to inspect the site on March
17, and after an exhaustive
search had declared the store a
retail establishment rather than
an adult venue.
“They inspected every single
corner, every single part
of the building,” Buzzetti said.
“And they gave us the results
this morning, that the store was
deemed as definitely non-adult
usage and that the city has no
right in shutting us down.”
While the store sells all manner
of dildos, vibrators, and other
sexy merchandise, it’s able to skirt
Giuliani-era zoning ordinances
for adult establishments since it
does not sell pornographic movies
or put on sex shows. He noted that
it is perfectly legal to sell the items
on the store’s ground-floor level,
like condoms, lingerie, or sexy
candy, to minors, but that they actively
choose not to. The naughtier
items kept in the basement, are
fully out of reach for kids.
Still, opponents say the store is
not in keeping with the neighborhood’s
“family” environment, and
argue that the zoning code should
be changed to more closely hue to
the last 20 years of evolution in the
sex industry. “It’s not a retail shop,
it’s a sex shop. It’s an adult establishment,”
said Suzanne DeBrango,
a Clinton Hill resident and
president of the WaGreene Neighborhood
Association.
The opponents mostly qualify
their remarks by noting they’re
not “against sex” or anti-LGBTQ,
as supporters have contended,
nor are they trying to put the
store’s employees out of a job, but
that they would rather see the
store move to a lower-foot-traffic
area with fewer kids, citing Atlantic
Avenue in particular.
In the face of backlash, Buzzetti
said the company has been collecting
petition signatures in support
of the store, outpacing opponents.
Heating up!
Clinton Hill sex shop controversy
reaches climax at rally
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