Nashville- Hustler Hollywood, a store chain fueled by adult entertainment mogul Larry Flynt, is eyeing a location in Nashville at 14th Avenue North and Church Street, just off Interstate 40.
With existing stores in Hollywood, San Diego and Gardenia, Cal., as well as Monroe, Ohio, and Lexington, Ky., Hustler Hollywood is more reminiscent of a clothing store or a nightclub than a pure adult entertainment venture.
An upscale one-stop superstore of "leisure activity for the very discriminating customer," the store includes tall ceilings, bright colors and a coffee bar with high-end gourmet foods and pastries in existing locations.
The 1400 Church St. property was last home to an Amoco gas station in the heart of what is now loosely termed as Nashville's Gay Business District.
Hustler Hollywood, which first opened in 1998, offers a line of clothing that includes sophisticated lingerie and separates - essentially every color of thong underwear in addition to Hustler baby T's and ball caps.
Flynt and Larry Flynt Publications (LFP, Inc.) are individually guaranteeing the leases on the proposed bookstore that would include International Best Sellers and the latest video releases and magazines, according to the property listing on the Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Company Web site.
In addition to Nashville, new locations are scheduled for Ft. Lauderdale and New Orleans. The Lexington location opened July 16 and was followed by a federal lawsuit from Jimmy Flynt II, the store's operator and the brother of Larry Flynt.
Flynt's suit, which is ongoing, alleges the city violated his constitutional rights when the Lexington City Council passed a zoning ordinance in April that prohibits adult bookstores, adult video stores, adult cabarets, sexual entertainment centers and adult dancing and entertainment establishments at interstate highway exchanges in Fayette County. The Hustler Hollywood store is near an interchange off Interstate 75.
While Flynt opened his store without adult merchandise, he added it less than two weeks later.
LFP, Inc., the company that created Hustler magazine, began in 1976 and currently publishes more than 30 titles.
The Metro Board of Zoning Appeals heard a case in October of 2003 to put in a new 9,700 square feet retail building on the property. The property is zoned CF (Core Frame District) and a Hustler Hollywood store would not be classified as an adult business if under 50 percent of the floor area is used for adult material, according to Metro Codes' Rick Shepard, who serves as secretary to the BZA.
