The Largest Romance Store in the North East Opened and Filed 3 Lawsuits Against Another Town Today

November 17, 2006

VIP DBA Very Intimate Pleasures, a Romance Shop Opens The Largest Romance Store in The North East, in one town and files 3 lawsuits against another town today.

Summary:

VIP DBA Very Intimate Pleasures, VIP opens the largest Romance Store in the North East today. The VIP of Manchester located in Manchester Connecticut, in the Buckland Hills area had it's Grand Opening which was a great success with over 1,850 customers attending the grand opening. On the same day VIP Owners also filed 3 lawsuits against the town of Berlin, CT. Berlin, Connecticut is the next proposed location for VIP making this the 4th location in Connecticut. They are appealing the unfair ruling the board of appeals past down a few weeks ago. " VIP is a Romance Department Store which caters to woman and couples an is not a Sex Shop. VIP asks everyone to come into there newest location and see for yourself. Everyone know what a sex shop is, and in there mind and can invision one. VIP is truely NOT. VIP helps build happy, long lasting relationships. VIP's concept is for couples to come in and try something different in there life. Routine is not always the best thing for ones relationship. In our stores we have something for everyone for every special occasion from funny to risque. Lots of our customers come is as couple or with freinds and have such a good time shopping and browsing our stores, "states Gary Porter General Manager for the VIP. VIP hopes to open the fourth location in Berlin location sometime in 2007.

Story:

VIP of Manchester who's grand opening was a success also had its fair share of unhappy people when the owners proposed this location almost a year ago. However, you would never know that now. The store is 16,000 square feet the largest in the North East. Now owners of the VIP are set to open another location in Berlin, CT., again with some opposition. The propsal is another mega Romantic Department Store. VIP of Berlin LLC DBA Very Intimate Pleasures, VIP is trying to open a 15,000 square foot retail store in the town of Berlin Connecticut. Earlier this month the town of Berlin again rejected there application for zoning. VIP of Berlin, LLC has now filed 3 separate lawsuits this week. It will now be decided by State & Federal Courts.

The owners for a proposed Very Intimate Pleasures store filed a federal lawsuit against the town this week, arguing that an ordinance restricting sexually oriented businesses is unconstitutional. The suit from VIP of Berlin LLC comes after the town blocked its plans to open a shop on the Berlin Turnpike. Dan Silver, the lawyer representing VIP, said the town has violated the Constitution by restricting the location of a First Amendment-protected business when there isn't proof that it will cause secondary effects such as crime.

The town ordinance prohibits adult businesses from operating within 250 feet of residential property. Very Intimate Pleasures proposes to sell party goods, greeting cards, gag gifts, lingerie, oils, sexually explicit DVDs, books and "sex-positive" novelties in the former Huffman Koos furniture store at 717 Berlin Turnpike, which borders a middle-class neighborhood.

Silver said the town's regulations are based on outdated studies that focused solely on businesses such as adult nightclubs and nude theaters. VIP, Silver contends, is a new kind of "take-out only" store that wasn't considered when the ordinance was crafted years ago. He also states in the suit that VIP should be considered a "romance shop" rather than a sex shop, because it caters mostly to women and couples "who wish to enhance their love lives," and not to single men. The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court names the town and Herman Middlebrooks Jr., the town manager, as defendants. Middlebrooks declined to comment Wednesday.

The owners of VIP say "we usually see some opposition to us coming but once we are permitted the use and we start our construction we have only seen happy eager customers greeting our constuction workers and staff member with questions as to when will we finally open our doors. The opposition stops once we receive the permit."

VIP hopes to have there 4th location open somethime in 2007.