Operation Save America -

MILFORD - Adult merchandise will soon be back on the shelves of an adult superstore here, after the owner said Monday that a city ordinance regulating such businesses doesn't apply.

Daniel Quinn, owner of Penthouse Boutique, said the adult videos, sex toys and other items will be back on the shelves by 12:30 p.m. today.

The city ordinance governing adult businesses requires a police permit and employee background checks for establishments where more than 50 percent of the merchandise is classified as adult.

"We never bothered to count our inventory before, but it turns out that we carry 28,278 non-adult items and only 14,000 items that are classified as adult, Quinn said.

According to the ordinance, those are "any instruments, devices or paraphernalia designed or marketed for use in conjunction with specified sexual activities or that graphically depicts specific anatomical areas."

City officials blocked the store's official opening last Thursday because the police permit had not been issued.

So the 10,000-square-foot store opened Friday with the adult merchandise removed from the shelves.

Undercover police issued a $77 violation on Saturday after finding an adult item in the store, officials said.

Quinn said he and his attorney, Daniel Silver of New Britain, plan to meet with Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr. and City Attorney Marilyn Lipton today to discuss the situation.

"The mayor is out of his mind," the Penthouse Boutique owner said. "We've had it with this guy. They call me a pervert, but I tried to appease him. I tried to be a nice guy."

Quinn also referred to Richetelli as a "religious zealot." He said his business does not need the police permit or background checks.

"The city does not have a leg to stand on, and they have trampled my First Amendment rights," he said. "I am definitely going to sue."

Richetelli declined to comment on Quinn's remarks and said the storeowner is not on his schedule today.

"He is trying to make this personal, but, in fact, I have a lot of other things to worry about," the mayor said.

Meanwhile, about 10 customers were in the store Monday afternoon, about half of them women.

"It's a place where women can feel like women," said New Haven resident Diana Soto, 21, who was looking at a display of high-heeled shoes.

"I'm happy the store is here," she said. "It beats buying this stuff off the Internet."

A couple from Branford in their mid-40s said the city was being ridiculous in trying to prevent the store from opening.

"It's pointless," said the wife. "It's a store like any other store."

Cromwell resident Joseph Brunnock said the city should leave the storeowners alone.

"It's not like they have sex shows in the back room," he said. "It's a very classy place."

Frank Juliano, Milford bureau chief, can be reached at 878-2130.

News Item #2

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=9915370&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=517515&rfi=8

Milford porn wars heat up on 2 fronts
Church raises $200,000 to buy out video shop

Brian McCready , Assistant Milford Bureau Chief 07/29/2003

TOWN TALK
Showdown in Milford: church vs. sex store

MILFORD — In the saga that could aptly be called Porn War: Part II, a Christian Church on one side of the city revealed Monday it has raised nearly $200,000 in its effort to buy out an adult video store.

On the other side of the city, however, the owner of a separate mega adult-only emporium said he’s going to re-stock his store with or without the official OK.

In fact, said Daniel Quinn, owner of Penthouse Boutique, his lawyer says his store might not even be an adult establishment as defined by city ordinance.

Quinn said that to meet the city definition of an adult business, at least 50 percent of his inventory would have to be pornographic. An architect measured the store Monday and concluded only 30 percent of his store is adults-only, therefore an adult permit from the city is not needed, Quinn said.

Quinn was prevented from opening the Banner Drive store last week when city officials said he did not have the proper permit.

On Boston Post Road, there’s no question the video store targeted by Kingdom Life Christian Church is of an adults-only nature. And there’s no question the congregation remains determined to drive it out.

Kingdom Life Bishop Jay Ramirez said Monday that his congregation had raised an additional $85,000 since last week and now has $200,000 of the $245,000 needed to purchase the property at 116 Bridgeport Ave. that houses the Video Pleasures store.

Money has poured in since the announcement last week that the church will buy the building, he said.

Ramirez said that while many people outside Milford want to contribute, for now he is only accepting donations given by his 2,300-member congregation.

And back over at the Penthouse Boutique, Quinn said his lawyer decided he could not give away, as he had planned to, $500,000 in adults-only items because it turns out the city ordinance bars distributing free porn.

Quinn said he would bring back sex toys and videotapes for sale as soon as possible, despite the city’s claim that he has to wait up to 30 days to obtain a permit. Last week, Quinn removed half of his store’s $1.5 million adult inventory so he could open before the bureaucratic red tape was cut.

He said Monday he believes city officials stalled the permit and were harassing him.

"The mayor (James Richetelli Jr.) is wrong 100 percent and has violated my first amendment rights. We don’t even come close to 50 percent adult products. The mayor is so anti-porn it’s unbelievable," he said.

Richetelli declined comment Monday. Quinn said he would meet with his lawyer today to choose a date to re-stock the store.

"The porn is coming back," Quinn said.

Penthouse Boutique held a grand opening party last Thursday that featured several Penthouse Pets.

On Saturday a Penthouse Boutique cashier was issued a $77 citation by a police officer for selling body lotion in violation of the city’s adult ordinance.

While Quinn’s business struggles to open with all its products in place, the owner of Video Pleasures is weighing whether he will exercise the option to stay in the building for three years.

Ramirez said he has been overwhelmed by his parishioner’s generosity.

"They are so committed to the idea to get this business out of here and they’ve put their money where their mouth is," Ramirez said.

Ramirez said he would accept outside donations to help renovate the building once the sale is final.

Brian McCready can be reached at bmccready@nhregister.com, or 876-6800.

News Item #3

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Richetelli wants furor over porn to cool

Sarah W. Walker and Brian McCready , Register Staff
07/30/2003

MILFORD — All was nearly quiet on the porn front Tuesday.

At City Hall, Mayor James Richetelli Jr. had only this to say in a written statement: "The mayor’s office will make no other comments with regard to Penthouse Boutique. To do so would permit the owner of the establishment to succeed in his quest to use the media for free publicity and promotion of his business at the expense of the Milford community."

Meanwhile, the owner of Penthouse Boutique held a brief press conference to reveal he stands by his contention that his store is not truly an adult-oriented business under city regulations.

What remains in contention however, is when owner Daniel Quinn will be able to bring back the pornographic items he removed when city officials told him he did not have the proper permit to sell such wares.

Boutique District Manager Gary Cohen said Tuesday afternoon that as a result of a recommendation from Quinn’s attorney, the store would not bring the pornography back yet. He declined to estimate when it might happen.

Quinn said by his calculations, his store does not meet any one of seven qualifications that under city regulation has to be present to be considered an adult business.

The city’s adult establishment ordinance defines an adult business as one that has more than half its inventory, displayed merchandise, stock in trade, and-or floor area devoted to pornographic materials.

The ordinance also says that an adult business is one in which more than half of sales over any 90-day period in dollars, number of sales or dollar value of displayed merchandise, is greater than that of non-pornographic materials.

City Attorney Marilyn Lipton did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.

Quinn, however, his architect Doug Corry, and Cohen produced architectural drawings showing that 2,612 of the store’s 8,957 square feet house pornographic products such as sex toys and videos.

Quinn said his percentage of adult products is just over 29 percent. The store has 29,728 non-adult products, while 14,000 are classified as pornographic items, he said.

Quinn, however, was unable to answer questions about the dollar value of his pornographic and non-pornographic materials. He also said he isn’t sure how his store could control sales, both in dollars and quantity, to ensure that they remain within the legal limit.

Last Thursday, just hours before the planned grand opening, police informed Quinn that his business could not sell that night because the store failed to obtain an adult permit from the department, which requires a criminal background check.

Police issued a $77 citation to a clerk Saturday for selling allegedly prohibited adult products.

Sarah W. Walker can be reached at swalker@nhregister.com. Brian McCready can be reached at bmccready@nhregister.com, or 876-6800

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