MONROE, Ohio - This community hardly rolled out the welcome mat five years ago when Larry and Jimmy Flynt opened a business.
But despite opposition and fears that the Hustler Hollywood adult store would hurt the town's image and deter other new business, the store has flourished, as has this city along Interstate 75 about midway between Cincinnati and Dayton.
"These types of retail businesses are not what most cities seek for their front door along the interstate," said Jay Stewart, the city's director of development. "But as long as the federal courts provide them substantial protection to operate on First Amendment grounds, these businesses can locate in virtually any community."
The parking lot is often packed at the upscale-looking store that sells clothing along with explicit movies and sex toys.
"We built a modern, attractive store - and it drives traffic into the community," said Jimmy Flynt, younger brother of longtime pornographer Larry. "The Monroe store's business has been unbelievable, and it has been very good to our company."
He won't disclose sales figures, but said the operation "is the store that has made all our other stores across the nation possible."
The Flynts have opened Hustler Hollywood stores in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach, Fla.; Lexington, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn., and San Diego.
Meanwhile, Monroe's population is booming, gaining some 3,000 residents to grow to some 10,000 people over the last five years. The business district along state Route 63 also has seen moderate growth, Stewart said, and developers have options on several large parcels.
The Hustler store's neighbor is Sara Jane's Restaurant, a fixture in Monroe for more than 20 years. Charlie Whittaker, the restaurant manager, remains ambivalent about the store's impact on the city: "I don't think it has been either positive or negative."
Alycia Harrold and boyfriend Steve Glenn, both from Dayton, browsed the adult offerings this week. "It's couple-friendly. It has a lot more than videos - and it's classy, not trashy-looking," said Harrold.
David Miller, vice president of the anti-pornography group Citizens for Community Values, still opposes the store.
"Everything the Hustler store is about is related to sexual activity," he said. "What we are telling society by allowing these sort of stores is that women are sport and exist only for the sexual desires of men."
The group plans to hold public meetings in Butler County next year to discuss legal options residents could pursue to force the store out.
