ORANGEVALE, CA – Cupid’s Love Boutique’s Grand Opening hit a small snag earlier this month; a snag that came in the form of noisy demonstrators outside the shop, protesting the opening of what they believe to be a magnet for immoral conduct and sexual predators.The protestors succeeded in delaying Cupid’s opening, but are now irate that the store continues to sell merchandise that some say the store’s owners promised to remove in response to the protest.
According to reports in the Sacramento Bee, Cupid’s is located approximately 600 feet from nearby Twin Lakes Elementary School, a fact that appears to be the main source of concern for the unhappy Orangevale residents that amassed at a meeting called by Sacramento County officials last week.
“The location is unacceptable,” said resident Kathleen Parikka, according to the Bee. “We want to know why they are there, and we are worried about the safety of our children.”
County officials say they’re sympathetic and would like to help, but for one small detail; under the definition provided in the Sacramento County zoning codes, Cupid’s does not qualify as an “adult bookstore.”
Under section 130-03.5 of the Sacramento County zoning code, an “Adult bookstore is an establishment that devotes twenty-five percent (25-percent) or more of the total floor area open to the public or twenty-five percent (25-percent) or more of the total stock on hand, to the sale or rental of books, magazines, periodicals or other printed matter, photographs, motion pictures, films, video tapes, or video disks which are distinguished or characterized by an emphasis upon the depiction or description of ‘Specified Anatomical Areas’ or ‘Specified Sexual Activities’ as defined in Sections 130-171.4 and 130-171.5, respectively.”
The county’s primary code enforcement officer, Carl Simpson, said that Cupid’s does not qualify under the definition, because less than 25-percent of the store’s floor space is devoted to the materials referenced in section 130-03.5.
In light of the fact that there’s little the county can do about Cupid’s location under the zoning codes, he suggested that pressure from citizens could prove more effective than any action the county might take.
“What you are doing tonight is one of the most important things you can do to preserve your neighborhood,” Simpson said, according to the Bee.
One resident at the meeting, Norm Covell, said his distress was less about the immediate risk presented by Cupid’s and more about the effect that multiple adult businesses could have on Orangevale.
“My big concern is that once this stuff gets in, the downward spiral begins,” Covell said, according to the press.
As noted by Cupid’s co-owner, Philip Angeles, the “stuff” Covell referred to got in long ago; Angeles points out that liquor and convenience stores in the area sell some of the same materials that Cupid’s does. What’s more, Angeles observed, while Cupid’s is closed off to anyone under the age of 18, people of any age can walk into a convenience store.
“All the people going to this meeting have never been inside our store,” Angeles pointed out
Angeles also disputed the suggestion that the store had promised to remove any of its adult products following the December 1st protest that delayed the store’s grand opening, and noted that the store conforms to all the local ordinances.
Of the unhappy local residents, Angeles said “We are trying to accommodate them but at the same time, we are trying to run a business here.”
“We follow all the rules,” said Angeles. “Everybody has a right to open a business. That is why we are in America.”
