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by Sara McCoy
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REDDING, Calif. —The City Council met Tuesday night, where the city attorney was expected to clarify the definitions of "adult business establishment" and "adult entertainment business or activity." The council potentially seeking further clarification from the planning commission.
Stephanie Drew, owner of Kiss Me Novelties and Lingerie, planned to attend the meeting to defend her store's location. Drew said, "From my understanding, they just want to change the wording to either include my store as an adult store because I don’t have any of the elements of an adult operable business here, which they need to be very careful with because it’s going to encompass a lot of other stores in this town that sell the same products, most of them are in the mall or on every street corner."
Drew noted that only about 10 percent of her sales come from adult toys and expressed concern that the city should not complicate matters for small businesses, especially with numerous empty storefronts downtown. "They’re going to have to buy me out, if they really want me out of this location and really want me to not operate at all they’re going to have to buy me out because this is the second location that I’ve moved to in less than two years," she said.
Drew relocated three months ago partly for her safety, although she still faces occasional harassment. "I’ve had actually only a handful of people come in and actually voice their opinion but they refuse to actually look around and they refuse to take a tour that I’ve offered. I treat anybody that comes through my door as anybody else," she said.
Despite these challenges, Drew said the move has been beneficial, with business improving and her feeling much safer.
