CHELSEA, New York — Splosh Sexy Boutique, a hybrid sex shop/café, was denied a liquor license this week by a local community board.
According to reports, dozens of irate neighbors appeared at the CB4’s Business and Licenses and Permits Committee meeting on Tuesday to protest the license, fearing that the booze-equipped shop could be parlayed into a hub for raucous parties and prostitution.
Locals said that the Chelsea neighborhood already hosts a high concentration of sex shops, which have historically attracted male and female prostitutes.
The committee voted unanimously to ask the State Liquor Authority not to grant Splosh/Splash a license.
Store owner Dumesh Kankanamalage’s lawyer Boris Sorin argued that the space previously operated as an Indian restaurant with a liquor license and could still benefit the public with “white cloth [and] full service staff.”
Opponents noted that because the store’s kitchen is located in the far rear, food would have to travel through the retail store (past toys, lingerie and lube) to reach diners.
Sorin also negated suggestions of impending hooliganism, saying that Splosh would not have private viewing booths and would have 38 security cameras along with a full security team, including bouncers.
The store at 155 Eighth Ave. opened in November and offers a bevy of sexual products and outdoor seating and a tentative upstairs bar, but has yet to serve food.
