VIRGINIA BEACH — In front of Ocean 11 clothing and gift shop on Atlantic Avenue, a mannequin dons a pair of snug shorts with a lewd message sprawled across the backside. A plastic torso boasts an “I (heart) boobs” T-shirt.
The risqué clothing sells like hotcakes to young shoppers, according to store manager Adam Desouki, who has worked at the shop since last spring.
“The new generation, they like this so much,” he said.
Similar clothing displays in front of several other shops along Atlantic Avenue are raising eyebrows this summer, and some city officials and tourists say the lewd merchandise has no place in a family-friendly resort area.
To curb the problem, the City Council wants to encourage shop owners to remove the clothing. They are expected to vote Tuesday on a resolution requesting Oceanfront retailers voluntarily remove indecent and/or vulgar T-shirts and displays from storefronts.
The entire City Council requested the measure and plans to support it unanimously on the consent agenda.
“Enough is enough,” said Councilman Worth Remick, who represents part of the Oceanfront and has heard multiple complaints about the merchandise. “This is a calm, gentle, nice way to say this is not good for our brand, for our city.”
The resolution states that because criminal enforcement for obscenity is a difficult standard to reach, the City Council is asking for voluntary action from retailers.
But Ocean 11 has no plans to stop displaying its controversial inventory, according to Desouki. The store’s shorts, priced between $25-$35 a piece, are top sellers in the business’s coveted summer months.
“The owners need to make money in a certain period of time, and in the winter nobody’s here,” he said.
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Some of Ocean 11’s most popular shorts feature the phrases “It ain’t gonna spank itself,” and “Property of (blank).” The store can customize clothing with a name.
While some customers throw down money for the garb, others are turning away in disgust.
Angie Whitlock, 68, of Georgia was shopping on Atlantic Avenue Tuesday morning when she came across a display of raunchy phrases on clothing at Shoreline on 15th Street.
“I think it’s awful,” she said. “This is a family-friendly place, and as a community we need to protect our children. Maybe move that stuff to the back for the bachelors.”
The council is also asking the Resort Advisory Commission and Atlantic Avenue Association to take a public stance in support of a family-friendly environment.
Virginia Beach has a history of cracking down on resort area behavior city officials deem problematic. The city erected it’s infamous “no-cursing” street signs in in 1990s, but has since taken them down and the collectables were sold at auction. This year, the police department promised a swift crack down on pop-up parties planned at the Oceanfront and the city launched a new marketing campaign hoping to discourage bad behavior.
In Virginia Beach, businesses are not allowed to place wares in the public right-of-way and violations are criminal misdemeanors. But the court process takes time, and some businesses simply pay the fine but continue to break the rules, according to the city.
Recognizing this has been an ongoing issue on Atlantic Avenue, the Resort Advisory Commission supports an amendment to state law that would allow the city to be able to ticket offenders if they continue to display merchandise in the public right-of-way while awaiting a court hearing.
The City Council included the request for the code amendment in its legislative package earlier this year. Del. Anne Ferrell-Tata, a Virginia Beach Republican, sponsored it, but the measure failed to make it out of a subcommittee.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
