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“Adult Retail Store” Opens Next to Elementary School
(April - 20 - 2007)

MONROE (TV8) - An X-rated controversy is sweeping through a twin cities neighborhood.
It centers on a newly opened business… And it’s close proximity to children.
TV8’s Mike McDaniel explains why something licensed as a simple “retail store” is causing such a ruckus.

At first glance, this store is nothing out of the ordinary. But look closer and you’ll see it’s for adults only. Owners of the new X-mart Adult Supercenter applied with the city for an occupational licence as a simple retail store, but a city spokesman say the applicant didn’t disclose what they would be selling.

Last week the store officially opened it’s doors as an adult only retail store.

“We just don’t think that this is the place
for that kind of establishment.”

Now, the store is being criticized, not just because of what is sold there, but because of where it’s located - specifically what’s directly behind it.

“Store employees say this white fence was put up to try and ease tension between their business and a school playground, which is literally across the street, for elementary school students.”

The school is Our Lady of Fatima, where nearly 200 kindergarten thru sixth grade students - all with curious minds - attend classes.

Monroe catholic schools spokeswoman Liz Craft says that’s reason enough for the store to shut its doors.

Craft says, “This is Monroe Louisiana, we value our children, we value our faith and I’m not so sure that having this kind of establishment right across the street is exactly what we need here.”

We went inside to speak with store workers about the issue. They wouldn’t go on camera but told us their store is different from what they call “normal porn stores”… And refereed us to company attorney Gary Edinger in Florida.

Edinger says, “I understand this presents a moral issue for folks and as far as those folks are concerned, they simply should not patronize the store… And unless people are looking for this kind of merchandise they after a while kinda don’t notice the stores are there.”

But even the idea of such a place isn’t swinging well with others.

Craft says, “It’s been a safe school for more than 50 years here and any type of place of business that’s going to come in here and take away from that, we’re not going to be acceptable to that.”

Edinger”The nature of the business these days is such that it’s just people go there, they buy their merchandise and leave. So the idea of a dark, dank, dangerous place really does not apply to any of these stores.”

But when it comes to controversy between religion and pornography, ‘X’, marks the spot. Mike McDaniel… TV8 News.

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