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Hustler Hollywood, an adult entertainment chain that battled five years of opposition to opening an Indianapolis store, plans to welcome its first customers on Dec. 9 at 5505 E. 82nd St.
Founded by late Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt, Hustler Hollywood will sell novelties, lingerie and apparel at a Castleton address that generated controversy because of its next-door proximity to a Chuck E. Cheese location known for children’s pizza parties.
The percentage of goods offered by Hustler Hollywood that can be classified as “adult entertainment” served as the major point of contention in litigation that played out in the Indiana Southern District Court, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Marion Superior Court and Indiana Court of Appeals.
After signing a lease agreement in 2016 for the former site of flooring business The Floor Club, Hustler Hollywood was instructed by the Indianapolis Department of Business and Neighborhood Services to request a zoning variance as an adult bookstore.
The city defines an adult bookstore as a business that dedicates 25% or more of its inventory to adult products. Hustler Hollywood’s representatives said no more than 10% of its inventory will be adult products.
A legal battle that began with a January 2017 lawsuit against the city of Indianapolis ended earlier this year, when the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the city to issue permits to Hustler Hollywood.
In a unanimous appellate decision, Judge Terry Crone wrote that Hustler Hollywood “must operate within its restrictions or face the consequences for any violations. There is no evidence to support the notion that the site will operate in violation of the code. To assume as much amounts to pure speculation.”
Members of the Greater Allisonville Community Council have expressed opposition to the Hustler Hollywood store dating to 2016.
“It makes me angry; it makes me very angry,” former Greater Allisonville Community Council President Jonathan Eriksen told WRTV-TV Channel 6 five years ago. “This is not the kind of business we want added to the list of new residents in the area.”
Flynt, who lived in Starke County as a pre-teen, died at age 78 in February. In 2003, U.K. magazine Arena listed Flynt as No. 1 on a list of the 50 most powerful people in pornography.
The Hustler Hollywood chain has more than 35 stores in 18 states, including Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. The Castleton store will be its first in Indiana.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be opening a store in Indianapolis—this store meant a lot to Larry, and it means a lot to us,” Hustler Hollywood Vice President of Retail Philip Del Rio said in a media release. “We hope that residents will stop by and see what we are all about if they aren’t already familiar with us.”
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Touche
Larry Flynt was a Hoosier?! WHo Knew?
do we get a prize if we knew?
Before long, 82nd Street in Castleton will be the next ugly and vile community filled with gangs, strip clubs, and run down buildings. The sleaze of Hustler… not a good look.
It already is!
Didn’t IBJ prominently feature Castleton as something with roads eliminated and turning it to an on-foot region?
If you don’t like it move!!! See how simple that is? What’s illegal about it? Your fast food chains food kills more people than any!!! Store you don’t like! You want them closed down too? More people Die at the hospital and home than a sex store also! 👀Relax.. nerd👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
I don’t think anybody is saying they should be illegal or closed down. They just don’t think it’s the right place for it. Think about the nearest commercially zoned business to your home being changed to a Lion’s Den. You wouldn’t like it. With that said, I believe you are correct, if you currently live near Castleton my suggestion is MOVE. LOL
Chuck E. Cheese should close. Talk about trash.
“And that’s when the Whores come to town!”..
^thats a deep cut there from Tommy Boy, nicely done!
I am curious to how long this store will last. If someone wants to order sexy lingerie, there are already plenty of stores that sell it. If someone wants “naughty” costumes or sex toys, it is quite easy to order all of that stuff online–no need to go skulking around a dimly lit store.
This sort of “adult store” just seems like something from another era. I remember years ago when I was growing up in Indianapolis, they used to have similar adult “toy stores” out on the fringe commercial corridors, and I always wondered who even went to them (they are all long closed). But, at least back then, those types of stores made more sense since you did not have the option of online ordering.
What is an adult product? According to the article, Hustler claims only 10% of the store’s inventory will be adult products.
So 90% will be … let’s see – candles, bedsheets, robes, wine glasses…
Will people have to be 18 or 21 to enter?
If the community does not support it, it will close. Gangs, sleaze, and other vile and unsavory activities already exist and have existing in Indianapolis (and other cities and surrounding counties) for a long time.
So if those elements exist in the community, admittedly on your part, might they just support it?
Your comment is very strange. There is a difference between illegal and legal activities. Organized crime (i.e. gangs), etc. involves illegal activity. But, buying lingerie or “sexy” novelties is perfectly legal. Also, while I think that sort of stuff is silly, not “sexy,” and not my thing, I would definitely not equate lingerie with gangs and “vile and unsavory activities.” The pearl clutching on your part is a bit much.
I just wonder if the store will stay in business very long since people can order all these things more easily and cheaply online. The idea of an “adult store” just seems very dated to me.
These comments are so Indiana…