ALBANY, Georgia — When The Adult Toy Box, with its attention- grabbing hot pink paint job, moved a block or so down North Slappey Boulevard from the Dismuke Center to its current 1512 location, the rumblings started.

Then the sign went up for Christie’s Adult Store at 2215 North Slappey, and the Squawkers mobilized.

Just what in the name of the Bible Belt was going on in Albany, Georgia?

The public’s reaction to being “overrun” by adult entertainment establishments turned out to be much ado about, well, nothing more than the relocation of two of the city’s four businesses that cater to the more puerile interests of Southwest Georgia’s more daring adults.

And the owners of those establishments say business is booming, thank you very much.

“I’ve got nothing but positive comments since I’ve been here,” said Christie Gunter, who recently moved Christie’s Adult Store from its 1104 N. Slappey location to 2215 N. Slappey because she needed more space. “I look at what we do here as offering an opportunity for adults to enhance their private lives, to put a little spice in their relationships.

“I think we’ve seen a change in people’s attitudes in the last 10 years or so; people are more open to trying new things. We’re a respectable business.”

Gunter is certainly not alone in her assessment. According to a recent CNN report, the adult entertainment industry does roughly $12 billion in business each year. And local adult proprietors say their client base is as varied as the products they offer.

“We get people from all walks of life,” said Cindy Senn, co-owner with Shelby Ruley of Sweet Dreams Lingerie and Tanning at 2204 Palmyra Road, Tim’s Tats and Body Piercing at 2226 Palmyra and Sweet Dreams Too in Sylvester. “It’s not a socio- economic thing; it’s not a matter of race, gender or age. We get them all.

“Monday morning there was an 88-year-old man waiting for me to open up.”

With oils, lotions, adult “toys,” adult videos, lingerie, enhancement products, soaps, jewelry and other items intended for private use, adult entertainment outlets offer plenty in the spice department. But with Sweet Dreams, which has been open for 12 years, offering eight tanning beds and dozens of naughty and nice Halloween costumes, and Gail’s Lingerie & Video at 930 W. Broad Ave. providing a “peep room” for its customers, each establishment adds its own unique flavor.

“I feel one of my primary functions is to educate my customers,” Gail Tymes, whose Broad Avenue business has been open for 11 years, said. “A lot of people who call themselves Christians judge me for what I do, and that’s just ignorance. When you judge me, that’s a sin.

“I feel that God has blessed me to be in this business. He’s put it in my spirit to educate people, to help couples rediscover romance in their lives. When people or churches say bad things about me, I don’t talk bad about them. I pray for them.”

Proprietors in adult stores say they leave typical inhibitions at the door when they’re on the job. They prepare to answer questions from the uninformed, the curious and the confused.

“People who try to make this part of life dirty or bad are the ones with problems,” Ruley said. “This is a natural part of life, a God-given part of a normal relationship. We stay very current on the newest items that can help people who have problems, health- related or otherwise.

“We get plenty of thank-yous from customers. For instance, we had one gentleman whose doctor told him he could buy one of our products for $300 or have a $30,000 surgical procedure done. We don’t really get negative feedback.”

The owners of Albany’s adult establishments are as varied as the products they sell. Gunter, 28, had been selling ads for a magazine when she called on adult establishments. She was not impressed, but she got an idea of how such a business might better be run.

“I started doing home parties through my Web site, and pretty soon I couldn’t keep up with the demand,” she said. “I opened this business with the idea of having a clean, elegant place, and business has been awesome.

“I try to cater to my customers; I stay open later at night when some of the doctors, lawyers and Doublegate folks find it more convenient. I think because of the way we do business, there is less of a chance of people being uncomfortable. We’re polite; we greet customers with a smile; and we talk with them about what they might want.”

The Sweet Dreams operation is a family business with members of both Ruley’s and Senn’s families helping out.

“We’re not here to judge anybody; we’re here to make our customers happy,” Senn said. “What people do in the privacy of their homes is not our concern. We’ve been here longer than any other adult shop in the city; there is definitely a place for our business in this community.”

Tymes, meanwhile, said she welcomes customers who come to her with their own special problems.

“I try to make them feel at ease, because a lot of times what they’re dealing with is difficult to talk about,” she said. “Once they relax, I tell them ‘let’s deal with your problem.’ I can’t tell you how many people have come to me and told me I helped their marriage.

“If I’m feeding my partner the same meal every day, after a while my partner’s going to get bored. I’m going to spice that meal up, give it some flavor. That’s what we do here, we help add flavor. I couldn’t have been in this business for 11 years if I were ashamed of what I do.”