[URBAN NOTE] On how Taboo is taboo in Charlottetown

[rfmcdonald]

Taboo is a fairly new shop, operating its first storefront in Charlottetown. 211 Euston Street at Hillsborough. It is a "Smoke/Adult Novelty Store", offering for sale (among other things) sex toys and hookahs.

Back in June, The Guardian described how the shop angered some of its neighours.

Homeowners and residents of the area surrounding the Taboo Company on Euston Street are upset the business has been allowed to open in their neighbourhood, and are registering their complaints with city hall.

Anne MacNiven says her main concern is for the children who live in the area.

The shop sells sex toys, lingerie and paraphernalia such as pipes, hookahs and scales.

It is located between two Charlottetown schools, at an intersection where a crossing guard is posted during school hours.

“There are kids walking back and forth in front of the store, there are kids in carriages that are too young to speak being wheeled by the window,” MacNiven said.

She pointed to two photographs she took of the display in the large storefront windows. The photos show two novelty mugs depicting the children’s characters Spongebob Squarepants and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. On top of the mugs are bottles of edible massage oils with suggestive photos on the labels. Next to the mugs is a large, black leather whip.

MacNevin says she worries children walking by the store will be attracted by their favourite characters on the mugs, then exposed to adult products.

“The kids have to walk past these windows on their way to school in the morning and then they get exposed to it again in the afternoon, five days a week for the whole school year, if that business stays there.”

I will note, having seen the store in its location, that it is actually located on one of the major west-east streets in Charlottetown. There are schools there, but there are schools in quite a few neighbourhoods. The store itself is quite tasteful, shadowboxes shielding pedestrians from the interior. Plus, I'm sure that it fills a valuable niche on the Island.

But last week The Guardian's Ryan Ross reported that Charlottetown city council voted against Taboo's location.

Amy Brewster is one of the owners of Taboo Company and said there was a lot of support for the store as it sought the variance it needed to stay on Euston Street.

"I was really shocked that the variance got denied," she said.

The business opened earlier this summer in a space that has housed commercial operations for many years, but Taboo Company required a variance because the area is zoned for residential use.

Its owners didn't know that until they started the procedure needed for signage and they later ran into opposition from some area residents who didn't want the business in the neighbourhood.

The matter went to a vote Wednesday during a special meeting where city council rejected the variance request by a vote of 7-3.

Only Coun. Rob Lantz, Coun. Jason Coady and Coun. Melissa Hilton, who are the three members of the planning board, voted in favour.

After the vote, Brewster said the owners plan to appeal the decision and she thought there was some information not considered in council's decision.

"A little bit of a lack of information about how much support we do have," she said.

I've signed the Change.org petition calling for city council to change its mind. I hope you sign it, too.