A new adult store is sparking an uproar in the prosperous Chicago suburb of Lakeview.
As Chicago CBS 2's Mike Parker reported, some North Siders don't want it in their backyard. In recent years, the area around Newport and Lincoln Ave. in Lakeview has seen fancy new townhomes built and upscale families with kids moving in.
The city has recently approved a new business called the Pleasure Chest, and some nearby residents are not happy.
"Maybe there's a place for it, but we're a residential area with lots of little children," said resident Sharon Gilkerson.
"You're going to walk down the street, and the kids are going to say, 'Mommy, what is that?' And they're going to say, 'It's a sex store,'" said resident Stefanie Piper.
And that's exactly what the Pleasure Chest is, said the CBS report. It's a sexual supermarket, selling XXX-rated books and DVDs, as well as DVDs, lotions, gels, gadgets, gizmos and devices.
But say what you will about the inventory, continued the report, the store itself is pleasant and non-threatening. There are no peep shows, no peepers hanging around and no kids allowed.
"A person has the right of pursuit of happiness and sexuality, and self-awareness is part of that right," said owner Brian Robinson.
Opponents of the store tried to stop it on zoning grounds, but the city said no.
"It's just another element of the city, and I don't see any problem with it," said resident Peirce Schmidt. "There's a pool hall over there that probably has more trouble."
Ald. Ted Matlak (32nd) said he knows some residents find the store distasteful, but he told CBS that there are no legal grounds to prevent it from being there.
He added that he hopes he can persuade the owner to make sure the exterior remains low-key and inoffensive.
