SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Most of the buzz regarding recent changes to Scottsdale, Arizona’s Sexually Oriented Business ordinance has been focused on the battle between the city and local strip club owners – not surprising, as those local club owners include adult entertainment superstar Jenna Jameson.Ever since rumors first started circulating that Jameson had purchased a share of Babe’s Cabaret, the city has shown renewed interest in enforcing the city’s Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance, an ordinance that has also been revised in order to incorporate tighter restrictions on the conduct of adult performers and their fans.
While most of the publicity surrounding the city’s revised ordinance has naturally revolved around the strip clubs and one particularly famous club owner, the changes also have profound implications for a lesser-known adult business in Scottsdale – Zorba’s Adult Shop, located at the corner of Scottsdale and Thomas roads.
Zorba’s, which has been in operation for 34 years, includes an extensive video arcade section, with numerous individual viewing booths. Under the new regulations, the entire space must be illuminated by at least the equivalent of a 40-watt light bulb, and no “doors, curtains, walls, merchandise, display racks or other materials” can obscure any area of the business – requirements that would essentially eliminate the possibility of offering individual viewing booths.
Should Zorba’s opt to modify its existing space in order to comply with the new regulations, the shop may find the plan cost-prohibitive. The Associated Press (AP) has reported that a sketch of Zorba’s floor plan, (which is included in the store’s sexually oriented business license), revealed that most of the building would have to be overhauled to comply with the regulations.
The revisions to the ordinance were approved unanimously by the City Council in December. Subsequently, Jameson and the other owners of Babe’s, along with the owners of Skin Cabaret, organized a referendum drive to put the issue to a public vote.
The club owners gathered over 8,000 signatures, well over the required number, and now revised portions of the ordinance pertaining to the strip clubs are on the September ballot. Provisions which apply to Zorba’s, however, are not included in the referendum. Skin’s owner, Todd Borowsky, told the AP that the video store provisions were left out of the referendum intentionally.
The referendum has been described by the club owners as a make or break proposition; if it passes, restrictions regarding nudity and the distance between dancers and clients will be repealed, meaning lap dances are fair game. If it fails, the club owners figure their business will too; no lap dances, no customers, they argue.
Zorba’s, meanwhile, will have to fight City Hall on its own, should it choose to do so. The owner of Zorba’s has not commented on the situation publicly, but it’s likely the store will fight the ordinance in court. Zorba’s and the city have squared off before over zoning issues during the store’s long history and the owner is no stranger to legal battles.
According to the AP, a male employee of Zorba’s who declined to give his name commented “There’s a reason they’ve hired a lawyer.”
