SPENCER, North Carolina- from www.salisbury.wbtv.com/- The owner of the Collector's Flea Market in Spencer says the vendor selling pornography is just meeting a need in the community.
"Everybody has their own desires," said owner Mike Firenze. "If they need a tape or a tape measure, you know...we have it."
The flea market has all the things you might expect to find. There are electronics, tools, tee shirts, furniture, and lots of other items. Near the back of the store there is a hallway that leads to a room marked by a bright pink sign with the word "TABOO" written in thick black marker.
There is also a sign saying no one under 18 is allowed inside, and that customers must seek assistance from an employee to unlock the door.
Inside there are several shelves of adult dvds. One wall is covered with lingerie in boxes, and there are sex toys.
Earlier this week a resident complained to the town board about the adult items, but town leaders determined that no ordinance or law was being broken.
Since adult entertainment is not the primary focus of the flea market, it doesn't qualify to be regulated as an adult business.
The town's planning board is looking in to ways to strengthen ordinances that regulate adult businesses, but any change would likely only apply to any new businesses, not the flea market.
The owner says he hasn't any complaints from customers, and that he did his homework to make sure the room and its contents did not violate any laws.
"Everybody is going to complain about something," Firenze told WBTV. "I didn't bring it here to upset anybody,you know, I figure it's a variety mall, you can come buy a cane or a porno flick."
