The store, which opened last week after reaching a settlement with the City Council, continues to do business despite the picketing.
“The business was wonderful Saturday,” store owner George Bernwanger told XBIZ. “It was the best day we had since we opened. They demonstrated on Friday, and business just continued to be good on Saturday. We’ve had a flow of people ever since.”
The demonstrators were organized by members of nearby Green Oak Township’s Holy Spirit Church. One protester, Carol Johns, told a local reporter she hoped the protest would cause “nobody to go there and they have to close down.”
Officials in Brighton originally denied Bernwanger’s application to open the store, causing him to file a suit in U.S. District Court against the city claiming the denial was a violation of his freedom of speech. Following months of negotiations, the two parties reached a settlement and City Council approved the agreement last August.
“Only 20 percent of the [store’s] business can be adult,” Bernwanger said of the agreement. “But there’s no piece count. It’s 20 percent of floor space and it’s designated for an area in the back.”
The remaining 80 percent of Intimate Ideas’ merchandise must be lingerie, according to the agreement.
Bernwanger said he doesn’t believe the demonstration — which was limited to the sidewalk outside the store — will have any effect on his agreement with the city.
“I suspect they’ll probably [picket] again, but it’s actually good advertising for us,” Bernwanger said. “You have to be over 18 to walk in here and it’s a thoroughly modern store. I have no idea what [the protesters] think they’ll accomplish. I’ve been doing this for 30 years, so I’m not going to get my feelings hurt and just walk out.”
