Miserable residents have launched a petition to protest against the window display at a Salisbury sex shop.
Amazing Fantasy, in Fisherton Street, has recently been refurbished and its new display has been branded as supposedly inappropriate
and more obvious , by people living nearby.
Nelly Bull launched a petition that has been signed by about 40 people. She claims:
There are pictures of women in provocative poses displayed right at the eye
level of a small child. There have also been slogans in the window, again at the eye level of children, which are not appropriate for them to read. I am truly appalled. We have a responsibility to protect our children.
I am not
heading any vendetta against this shop. They have freedom to trade ...BUT... as a community we have the right to strive for better standards and decency in our streets.
Councillor Richard Clewer said:
Since the shop was refurbished it has become more noticeable and obvious. I am not sure what the position is with regards to enforcement action, but I will speak to the council's licensing department for guidance.
Jonathan Spencer, manager of Amazing Fantasy said:
There is nothing you would see in our window that you wouldn't see in the window of other high street shops. Why should we black out our windows which would make the shop seem seedy? That is not what we are about at
all.
We have simply had a lick of paint and changed our stock, it is mostly lingerie. People who have been into the shop have been impressed with how it looks and trade has been up 63% since the refurbishment. We have reduced the
amount of stock we need a licence to sell and everything is legal.
Commentors on the online newspaper piece seem in total disagreement to the claims of the protestors. Even Councillor Clewer seems to have backed off given the total
lack of support for the protestors' claims.
Update: Token gesture
11th July 2013. See
article from salisburyjournal.co.uk
The manager of a Salisbury sex shop has been told he will need to take down one of the adverts in his window display following complaints. Licensing staff from Wiltshire Council visited the shop this week and informed staff that one of the
adverts would need to be removed or changed. A Wiltshire Council spokesman said:
We've now visited the business and advised the manager of concerns from the public and that one of the adverts on display will need to be
altered or taken down. We will now aim to set up an arrangement where he can easily notify us when he wants to make changes to the shop and we can advise accordingly.
Meanwhile owner Jonathan Spencer says he has had strong support
for the changes he has made and has started his own petition in support of the window display, which has been signed by 82 people, and he plans to present it to cllr Clewer next week.
Update: Supportive petition
18th July 2013. See
article from salisburyjournal.co.uk
THE row over a window display at a Salisbury sex shop took a new turn this week when its owner handed in his own petition showing support for his business.
Jonathan Spencer, who runs Amazing Fantasy in Fisherton Street, has been collecting
signatures from people coming into his store who say they support the changes he made to the frontage of his shop and the window display.
More than 80 people have signed the petition supporting his business and on Tuesday he handed it to ward
councillor Richard Clewer, who had also received the residents' petition of 40 signatures.