Bookstores and gas stations in the conservative town of Starkville have voluntarily removed all adult material from their shelves, according to a Mississippi State University report.
The town's adult entertainment ordinance, drafted in 2001, outlaws strip clubs as well as adult video and bookstores, but does not specifically regulate the sale of adult materials in certain venues.
"I am not aware of any ordinance that would regulate the sale of those materials," Starkville Alderman Matt Cox told The Reflector, Mississippi State University's student newspaper. "It is the business owner's choice. The city is not involved in that one way or another."
Business owner Rex Sharp, who is in charge of vending for B-Quicks, completely pulled the store's adult section during the last two weeks. Sharp told The Reflector that it was strictly "a business decision," and he does not cite any community pressure.
According to the report, video rental chain Movie Gallery removed adult videos from its local retail store in 2005. De Werks La Rey Gentleman's Club, once the nearest strip club to Starkville, closed in 2006 after six years of business.
