Adult-themed store, Fantasy’s, tries to open in East Grand Forks
May 8, 2012 at 4:15 pm in Grand Forks Herald
The convoluted story of a new adult-themed store in the Grand Forks area took a few more twists and turns before coming to an abrupt stop on Tuesday.
Fantasy’s opened for business in East Grand Forks on Monday, less than a month after an ordinance blocked the store from operating at a location near Winship Elementary School in Grand Forks. Continue Reading
Pamida sells lingerie, condoms, and lube, so by the same measure they are an adult business.
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I have no idea why you got so many dislikes on this…..I too fail to see the logic in what they did….Apparently many others think their going blindly ahead without taking better caution is just fine…….What really has me scratching my head on all the dislike you got….Hell…On the previous boards you were one of the most staunch supporters for the original shop……How easily they forget eh?
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Well, when she gets all her ducks in a row I hope that is the end of it. I’m glad she is in EGF. Adds to the tax base and the fewer empty buildings in town the better off we are.
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If I were these folks, I’d tell ‘em all to go to hell and find greener pastures beyond ND and MN.
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Better get Spencers out of the mall too then because they sell a lot more “adult” things than lingerie and shoes. Better boot Walmart, Target, Pamida, and Romantix too while they are at it.
What kind of prudes run these cities anyway?
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Even the “young, fresh face” on the GF city council voted like a prude. So much for progress coming with either mayoral candidate…
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I get the impression he takes his cue from Gershman.
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Honestly, Hal isn’t the cold hearted SOB that most people think he is. I actually get along with him pretty well, but that’s neither here nor there.
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” Hal isn’t the cold hearted SOB that most people think he is.”
I don’t believe I’ve ever even implied. I don’t even know him. I just dislike the fact he runs the city despite only being elected by those from one ward.
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Me thinks Grand Forks is going to be paying these people for all costs associated with what happened there. 5 years worth of rent and all other costs because they had approval and then it was taken back by a retroactive ordinance that leaves the city on the hook for all the costs these people had because of it. No different than if you got a permit to build a house and then 3/4 the way to completion the city changes its mind and says nope you have to ripe it down….. The city would have to pay for all the costs.
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Ok…This is just kind of foolish here…After all the problems they had on the GF side they go ahead and try to just open up on the EGF side without contacting the city to get everything lined up prior to starting. That makes no sense at all. Why load up a store and try to open it without getting all your ducks in a row first? Especially after the mega mess you just went through?
Oh well….At least the zealots can have something minor to get their panties in a bunch over again…..And by the way zealots….The sell panties if you need to replace the bunched ones….
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Where are all the conservatives who believe that government should stay out of business? Why aren’t they crying foul at this point?
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This is a better move for that store anyway, there is no tax on clothing in MN!
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i mean comon people you really think you can just open a bussiness without a permit or nothing . no matter what you are selling you need a business permitt and the rest of the legal jargen that goes along with it.. after all is said and done i hope they sue the city of gf and prove their point
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I have no problem with an adult themed store in GF or EGF. However, I am with the minority on this board. This lady appears to lack common sense when it comes to expanding her current business. C’mon not contacting the appropriate officials to open shop when she just lost a battle on the other side of town, not a great plan in my book.
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Best I can guess is that a few of us who have shared basically the same opinion actually read the article…
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The solution is simple. If you want to go into this type of store you are free to do so. If you do not, just stay away. I went to Catholic School and we were very well educated on the ways of the world without the help of a store. So…leave them in peace once their store is legal and operating. Grand Forks should be ashamed.
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I was hoping they would challenge the ordinence that the city council passed or move into the Kmart mall since the city exempted malls from its ordinence. What is the nonsense about have to talk to a city council to open a business. I opened a consulting bussiness in Grand Forks 7 years ago and I have never once been to the city council to ask for their permission. The truth is the Grand Forks City Council hates small business and they just want Walmart, Target, and chain restaurants in this town.
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“The truth is the Grand Forks City Council hates small business”
There are members of the city council who exclusively represent business owners. The last thing they want is for wages to go up in this city. God forbid a liquor store clerk can demand $15/hr like the hamburger flippers in Willston.
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Perhaps “None” should have said that “The truth is the Grand Forks City Council hates small business- that is not their own”
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I accept that correction
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I have 0 issue with a lingere shop in a appropriate location. The issue at hand is how this woman conducts her buisness. She just opened up shop without notifying anyone. She found it fitting to cover her windows in the grand forks location but keeps all windows open and clear for the public in egf. She opened up shop again in a simular neighborhood as she did in grand forks after causing a up roar. She is next to the green way a residential neighborhood and very close to sacred heart. It looks more like a immature stunt flaunting her buisness. She has many options for new locations there are open store fronts near pamida and hugos. Their are open stores in the k mart mall and parking lot.
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Back on the earlier debate of this issue I said somewhat the same thing, but people pointed out that some of those other locations probably cost more……Well I guess if you have two leases on shops you can’t open it can get a bit tough to find a better place…..I don’t have much of a head for business, but even I can see there’s something flawed with their planning…
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Tundra, I can not say that adult buisness does not have its place in the grand forks area. I do not agree on how grand forks changed its adult ordinance to eefect romantix and future shops like it. I really took in some of the comments hal girshman had about fantasys previous location after these articles went away. I agree with him that their is a place mAy not be appropriate in residential neighborhoods which is essentially what her 2 locations that she chose are. I do not agree with her bypassing the city officials of east grand forks opening shop in a arrogant manor and expecting everything to be ok. If she went through the proper channels egf would have worked with her to find a location and open up shop. Instead she said screw you to egf and gf and acts like she can do whatever she wants with her buisness. This is what I do not agree with.
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I think you somehow thought I was disagreeing with you, but I wasn’t. I just don’t see any logic to doing things the way they’ve done them. I mean why start another lease without getting everything cleared up first? My point was that now they’re locked into two leases for how much per month when maybe a better selection in a place that cost a bit more to lease in the first place would have been far more prudent….
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Typo. I agree with hal that the places she has chose may not have been appropriate. Since both her locations are zoned commercial but are essentially residential neighborhoods.
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They should just sell the stuff online. Then the parents can control what their Children see and don’t see better.
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Tundra, I wasn’t arguing with you. I was just furthering the point that she is not the victim but the aggressor in east grand forks. She brought the fight to herself instead of peacfully working with the city.
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Maybe the councilmen voted the way they were asked to by the people they represent. She has a right to run an adult buisness just not any location where the rent is cheap.
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Why do we want or need all this extra Adult products in a visible store? It is possible to order what you want online, which is more discreet. Maybe Fantasy’s should open an online business and rent, lease, or purchase a warehouse to keep stuff to sell online to customers. With all the child molestors in the area, (you can google and see where the registered ones are), it just reminds the sexual predators what they got in trouble for in the 1st place, if you ask me GET the Crap out of our view in Society, I am telling you as a mother to please keep our children safe and the smut away! I have lived in this area all of my life and No Thank you to any Visual Adult store.
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The point is you have cities legislating their view of morality. Given another city council, Grand Forks could shut down Gershman’s liquor stores, or the sale of tobacco, or condoms. All depending on a few people’s view. This is not the role of government.
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