By Brian Downey
Originally published March 23, 2007

OCEAN CITY – Facing an onslaught of criticism in the recent week from town officials, residents and neighboring businesses alike, Ocean City’s newest retail shop, SexStyle, wasted no time hunkering down and opening its doors for business.

It was Friday when the adult boutique, located at the 137th Street Bayview Shopping Plaza and specializing in DVDs, toys, books and lingerie for patrons 18 years of age or older, warmed up its neon glowing open signs, immediately catching the eye of locals who took their continued disapproval of the establishment straight down Coastal Highway to City Hall Monday night.

At the Mayor and City Council’s regular session, a handful of citizens approached the microphone, condemning the new retail store. At the dais, the council sat with open ears and updated those in attendance on what the town has done in the past week to legislate stores of this nature.

Everyone who spoke was against the adult-themed establishment and their questions ranged from creating laws or ordinances to stop it to revisiting current ordinances dealing with what can be displayed on signs.

Following the statements of one resident, John McDermott, Councilman Jim Hall was quick to reflect his sentiments.

“I will tell you the Mayor and City Council feel exactly the way you all do and are really outraged by this,” he said.

Concerning ordinances, both ones in place and ones that could be drafted in the future, City Solicitor Guy Ayres answered those questions, saying the town currently does not have any to address an issue like this.

“With respect to adult book stores, these have been permitted by the federal courts as being constitutionally protected,” he said. He continued, saying how other cities and towns have had luck regulating them though, getting them located in areas that are not frequented by families and young children.

One example was Baltimore County where it was eventually able to zone them in only highly commercialized, industrial areas, away from residential neighborhoods.

“Unfortunately, for instance, in Baltimore County, the area they were permitted to operate is larger than all of Ocean City,” he said.

Since Ocean City is so geographically confined, Ayres said the town has to be careful with something like this since the federal court says you have to allow them somewhere.

“We are going to look into limiting them from being so many feet or yards from family-related activities and things like that,” Ayres said. “If we do that, we have to make sure there is an area they can go because that’s the first thing the federal judge in Baltimore is going to say when the case gets filed up in federal court. Where you going to allow them?”

As for the sign, Ayres said there are no laws or ordinances dealing with what can be displayed on a sign either, just ones restricting dimensions and things of that nature.

With SexStyle meeting all the other town requirements, Ayres said the town is running out of options, however there may be something within the bylaws of the center’s condominium association that could throw a wrench in the gears.

“That may very well be the best protection you have because if it’s an activity that violates the deed restrictions, the courts wont interfere with those,” he said.

Sandy James, owner of Creative Day Spa located in the same shopping center as SexStyle, said all of the business owners in the shopping center are against the adult-themed store as well as everyone else she has spoken to.

“The Caine Woods Association is very upset and clients coming in the salon are upset,” she said. “I haven’t found anyone willing to admit they are for it.”

James said she is not against the store itself, just its location. As for the association’s bylaws, she said merchants may have something that could prohibit the business from being there but would not disclose any information.

“We’ll let the courts handle it,” she said.

As for adding bylaws to prevent something like this in the future from happening, James said they have already been added.

In an interview Wednesday at the store, SexStyle owners Ofir Bouzaglo and Moshe Bitton said the bylaws the association is referring to are too vague.

“They say nothing immoral can be in the store,” Bouzaglo said. “Who are they to say what’s moral and what’s immoral? What’s moral for them is immoral for me.”

The two went on to say how their store carries items that can already be found all over Ocean City in places such as pawn shops, movie stores and convenience stores. They even compared their items to ones sold in the popular chain store Spencer’s Gifts, where kids of any age can walk in and browse adult-themed material without any type of identification.

“It’s only a retail store, there is nothing unusual,” said Bitton, who has been familiar with the area for 23 years. “It’s like the T-Shirt stores, there is too many of them so we thought of something there is none of.”

Everything has been done by the book so far and the pair said they will continue to do so. By Friday evening, Bitton said their front door would boast a large stop sign, warning potential customers that they must be 18 with valid identification.

Bouzagalo and Bitton said they have been working close with the OCPD as well and plan on buying an electronic identification verification system that will check for fake IDs. If someone is found to have a fake, Bitton said they will turn them over to the police.

“It’s not that I’m coming and want to fight somebody,” Bitton said. “I’m trying to make a living, I want to work. I thought of something that isn’t here in the city and I hope I got it right.”

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