Sean Newman and Denise Earlman have posted a closing sale sign in their store's window, and told the Miami Herald they will likely reopen in another city.
The owners adapted to and complied with a series of revised zoning laws and other efforts by the city's government to force the store out of the downtown area, beginning in 1998 when a law was passed regulated store signs.
Newman and Earlman also endured several attempts by officials to redevelop the area and label the store as blighted, and Newman said one law even forced them to gut their store's adult video section. Their compliance let them stay put, to the apparent dismay of City Hall.
Upon hearing the news of the Fetish Box's closure, former Commissioner C.K. McElyea reportedly cheered.
"Well, whoop-di-doo," he said. "I'm glad to see it go. It was a disgrace to the city."
Officials believed the store, located in the middle of downtown, gives a negative impression of the city. There even was a failed attempt to sell the property to a developer to turn the storefront into a welcome center for tourists.
Newman and Earlman said they need a break. Sale signs have been posted in the Fetish Box's windows for several weeks.
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