Temecula, California – from www.pe.com – As a new business in a down economy, “The Love Emporium” offers Temecula a different type of stimulus.

The 1,400-square-foot store in a Jefferson Avenue strip mall sells lingerie, condoms, lotions, sex toys and erotic DVDs. While technically not an adult business under the city code, owner George Isbell [pictured] plans to make it one by eventually expanding the store’s offerings.

“Sex is a part of life,” said Isbell, 54, who runs two adult stores in San Diego. “It’s part of a healthy relationship.”

While a handful of Temecula stores offer X-rated material, and adult businesses are allowed, officials said they don’t think the city has a full-fledged sex shop.

Isbell said he has had his eye on his new location since the 1980s, when he came through Temecula on his way to Palm Springs. He signed a lease in April.

He applied to the city to run an adult business. But the lighting requirements, he said, were so extreme that it would cost him $30,000 to comply.

Isbell also was also shocked by the fee for an adult business conditional use permit, which is more than $10,000, according to a city fee schedule. For comparison, a permit for a massage business is $582.

Isbell then applied to run a non-adult store, which he said restricts the amount of adult materials in his store to 100 square feet.

He said the city denied him a business license but relented after his attorney sent a letter. Isbell also filed two claims against the city, saying Temecula’s zoning rules infringe on his civil and constitutional rights.

City planning chief Patrick Richardson said he doesn’t recall talking to Isbell about lighting rules. The fees for conditional use permits are based on a study and cover the staff costs needed to review applications, he said.

Applications for adult businesses take more time to review, Richardson said.

“The Love Emporium” opened Oct. 19. Frosted windows conceal the interior. DVDs and some of the sex toys are hidden behind curtains.

Isbell has fought City Hall. He sued the city of San Diego for the right to do business, a legal battle that he said took 10 years.

His new business is in a city where X-rated movies were protested and a nude portrait was removed from a city building. “I know what the city’s like,” Isbell said. “But there’s other adult businesses in conservative areas.”

Babydollz Lingerie on Margarita Road offers some adult materials in addition to lingerie; co-owner Heather Mcquerry said it’s less than 3 percent of the store’s merchandise. She said she’s had no problems with the city since Babydollz opened seven years ago.

Isbell said the adult industry is trying to clean up its image as it reaches out to new clientele. Fifteen percent of his customers are single women, he said.

“If you don’t like it, don’t come in,” he said. “I’m not dragging someone by their hair through the front door.”