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Tokyo Valentino in Sandy Springs compliant with adult merchandise code

The former owner of Inserection on Roswell Road has opened a new Tokyo Valentino store nearby in Sandy Springs. Bill Torpy/ AJC FILE PHOTO
The former owner of Inserection on Roswell Road has opened a new Tokyo Valentino store nearby in Sandy Springs. Bill Torpy/ AJC FILE PHOTO
By Arielle Kass
Dec 23, 2019

A Sandy Springs store that was cited for using more than a quarter of its floor space to sell adult merchandise is now compliant with city code.

A spokesperson for Sandy Springs said the Tokyo Valentino store on Roswell Road has reduced the amount of floor space used for such items so it is no longer considered an adult store. The city had cited the store for violating its code regarding adult stores and threatened to fine its owner $1,000 a day.

The CEO, Michael Morrison, said he had moved objects like douches and kegel balls into the adult area to comply with what Sandy Springs was asking for, but that he thought they were “clearly non-adult objects.”

The city’s ordinance calls an “adult bookstore” any shop that uses 25% or more of its floor space for books, DVDs or other visual representations that emphasize sexual activities, or toys and novelties that are used “in connection with specified sexual activities.”

Morrison said he is weighing his legal options.

“A judge will probably have to explain to the city what their own code means,” he said.

The city has long fought against adult bookstores, strip clubs and other businesses that emphasize sexual activities.

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About the Author

Arielle Kass covers Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She started at the paper in 2010, and has covered business and local government beats around metro Atlanta. Arielle is a graduate of Emory University.

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