Sex Shop In Clinton Hill Gets Neighbors Hot and Bothered

CLINTON HILL, BROOKLYN — Neighbors are hot and bothered about a recently-opened sex shop in Clinton Hill.

Romantic Depot, a tri-state area chain that sells an array of lingerie, sex toys, and cheeky party supplies, opened its first Brooklyn outpost last month on the corner of Fulton Street and Washington Avenue.

The manager described the shop — which is plastered with a sign depicting Biggie Smalls that reads "spread love, it's the Brooklyn way" — as "classy and unique with an upscale layout and welcoming feel," but many neighbors beg to differ.

"I'm no [prude] by any stretch of the imagination but this is uncouth," wrote Beaux Black on a public Facebook thread about the store, which garnered nearly 200 responses. "How did this get zoning approval so close to schools and churches?" he added.

Adult establishments, as defined by the city, need to be at least 500 feet away from schools and houses of worship, but Romantic Depot, which is around the corner from a middle school, church, and mosque, is considered a retail store by the Department of Buildings, News 12 reported.

Many neighbors, however, still found the store to be inappropriately located, citing window displays that reveal sex toys indoors.

"A sex shop display is not an appropriate way to educate young people about sex," wrote Glascoe-Njoku Cee, adding that she takes issue with the shop's location, not the fact that there's a sex shop in the neighborhood.

Romantic Depot owner Glen Buzzetti, however, told the Brooklyn Reader that the shop's exterior has no explicit imagery, just the picture of Biggie Smalls and window signs advertising "adult novelties" inside. (Some neighbors took specific offense to the depiction of the iconic local rapper, saying that his image is used as a marketing ploy in the rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood.)

"All of our stores are a far cry from the stereotypical seedy Times Square sex shop of the 1970s," he told the BK reader, comparing Romantic Depot to Babeland, a feminist sex shop with a nearby location in Park Slope, which was mostly welcomed in that neighborhood.

"Ours are upscale, sex-positive locations where a diverse clientele can feel comfortable coming for great service and a wide selection," said Buzzetti, noting that the Brooklyn shop is mostly staffed by women and queer people who were specifically trained to support shoppers.

Some neighbors, though, are downright excited to shop in Romantic Depot.

"I’d much rather buy sex toys locally than on Amazon," Max Heinberger, a neighbor, told the BK reader. "If we ever need something from there, though, we’ll go there for sure," he added.

"Can't wait to shop thanks for the info," another neighbor posted on Facebook in agreement, adding that people, kids included, already have constant exposure to sex. "Everything in that shop is on television for all to see," she added.

A third neighbor, whose son goes to a school nearby, actually thinks the shop could prompt healthy conversations about sex.

"Sex shouldn't be such a taboo," she wrote on Facebook. "Times have change, now you don’t have to travel on the A/C to the Village to get your kink on."