Truro sex shop boss told to black out windows
| Posted: March 21, 2012
Cornwall Council
The owner of a sex shop has been ordered to black out his window display or risk losing his licence.
In 2010 Braxton Reynolds opened Truro's first sex shop on Little Castle Street. The opening of "Mrs Palm Ltd" provoked a storm of protest from local shopkeepers opposed to the business opening next door to a children's school uniform shop.
Confusion ensued over the terms of the licence, but now two years later, Cornwall Council's licensing service said it has clarified the position. According to the council, the window display with mannequins in lingerie is breaching standard conditions of the licence.
Mr Reynolds said a blacked-out window would not only damage the look of the street but also harm his business.
He said: "Rules are being enforced in such a way to the detriment of the street first and to the detriment of our trading viability.
"This will be disastrous for trade and will affect the look of the street. Our lingerie is no worse than stock high street chains have on display in their windows."
Miller Commercial manages most of the buildings on the side of Little Castle Street where the shop stands.
Adam Hayes, head of the agency's property management department and associate, agreed blacking out the window would not enhance the look of the road.
He said: "If asked our view of what the effect would be on Little Castle Street to have a prominent and central shop essentially whitewashed or blacked out, I would say it would be detrimental to the street in terms of aesthetics and to adjoining businesses."
According to the council the window display is part of the interior and therefore must not be visible to passers by.
A spokesman for the authority said: "The licensing service has now clarified the interpretation of the conditions of licence with the council's legal service.
"This has resulted in a letter being sent to Mr Reynolds stating that it is alleged that the premises, due to the presence of the window display in particular, are being operated in breach of the standard conditions of licence.
"He was also advised that Licensing Enforcement would arrange to meet him at the premises to conduct a licence check which would also enable the opportunity for discussion on the way forward and options available.
"This is not as a result of any complaints from members of the public."
Comments
From what ive gathered the owners may go unlicensed which means they can fully open up their window showing all the goods inside, right through the shop, even open to under 18s just like Ann Summers. Its hit you on the behind bible bashing do gooders.
Can't see the problem with this shop and certainly obscuring it will create much curiosity and generally make for a down-market look. Too much prudishness about as I can readily testify ;0) .
Its down to the fact that most of Truros council decisions are based on a religious aspect rather than commerce, unless it suits them. Bunch of hypocrits, blacking out windows in shops will make the city look totally seedy , far more than having the odd mannequin in the window. Ann Summers sells essentially the same goods, so lets have their windows blacked too while we are at it. The do gooders wanting the windows blacked out in the end may probably boost sales for Mrs Palm rather than the reverse quite frankly. While at the same time the black windows making holiday makers think we live in the victorian era down here, they wouldnt be far wrong. Our council wants to stop mixing religious/what THEY think is for the good of Truro and look at it from a commerce. That blasted statue in the Piazza is still imo an utter blatant sex thing , represents Cornwall my ass pffff, if anything it makes Truro look far seedier than a well meaning sex shop.
No worse than the Ann Summers shop that is in a far more prominent position.
To cover something up will only arouse peoples curiosity and draw more attention than if it was treated as just another shop. There is nothing offensive on display and no=one is being forced to go into the shop against their will so why the fuss? I thought Mary Whitehouse was dead - her ghost is still doing damage.
Grow up for heaven's sake!
Waste of time money and peoples lives to do this !
I frequently go along that street and the 'sex shop' is not noticeably different to other in the street. There's certainly nothing offensive about their window display. I think the comment from Maman3 describes it quite well. If I were the owner, I would black out the window and put a big notice 'CENSORED' on the window. That would probably do more to raise the profile of the business than anything. Once again Cornwall Council have spent time and money on pursuing something that is relatively unimportant. They have admitted: "This is not as a result of any complaints from members of the public." So why the action against the shop?
"This is not as a result of any complaints from members of the public." I was in Truro recently (not a frequent shopper there) and walked past this 'sex shop'. To be honest my initial reaction was that is was a rather naff lingerie shop, and it took a second before I put two and two together to realise that the is the sex shop I have read so much about. It drew no reaction from my children. To black out the windows will have a detrimental effect to the street and will be more likely to arouse curiosity in innocents. Leave it as it is!