gonzo
01-03-2007, 05:36 AM
I found this excellent interview with John Cornetta - the owner of our favorite wall of dildos.
Read and be amused. Sic em John!
griftdrift: Why did you move from Boca Raton to Atlanta?
John Cornetta: Actually my path was a little different than that. I was born and raised in Piermont New York on the Hudson river just outside the city. Hunt this down but I saw some where that Mike Bodker (gd: mayor of Johns Creek) was born in Suffern N.Y. in 1965, that would make him one year younger then me and we would both have been born not only in the same county in New York, but at the same hospital in Nyack New York. Funny how the world is hey? Anyway, I moved back and forth between Boca Raton and NY from age 13 to about 20 or so, then stayed in South Florida until February 1990 at which time I moved to Atlanta. I came here to visit a sister who lived here with her boyfriend ( now husband of 13 years or so ). We had just sold a bar we operated in South Florida, we had a friend who put on lingerie fashion shows at our place two or three times a week. He made a lot of money, hung out with beautiful women..... It was a no brainer what I would do next. I was a trained professional chef. Worked with the best in the world. I turned down three full scholarship to the culinary art institute of my choice... I had had enough of food and beverage... So anyway, back here to Atlanta. No one was doing the shows, so I said, hey I'll move up here and try it. I had about $700 to my name, 100 pieces of lingerie and a car that would be taken back by the bank two months later. I was broke. I rented a town home in Dunwoody and started my business out of the town home. Called it Simply Irresistible Lingerie. Within in weeks I had competition, yet I managed to put them out of business and build that from 1990 to 1993 to doing more then 125 shows per WEEK and had about 25 models working for me. I am making this out to seem easy but if I had the time, these three years are enough for five movies. I slept on the floor, lost cars and the town home, took showers or a bath maybe once a week during portions of this period. I had high highs and some very low lows.
But oh what a life for a young man. Money started flowing in, beautiful women and I started meeting all the heavy weights in Atlanta. In fact they started to become my friends. Life long friends. We're talking guys in their late 50's and 60's befriending me and taking me under their wings. Guys like Johnny Espizito from Johnny's Hideaway. Bill Davidson from The Derby's. Ron Lombardi from Rascals, Ron Holcomb who owned Spinners and many others. But these guys, and Ron Holcomb and Bill Davidson may they, R.I.P., mentored me and took me in. Especially Mr. Lombardi and Mr. Davidson. They took me around. They helped pave my way in to a tight little circle of friends that ran all the watering holes back then. So that's how I came to and stayed in Atlanta...
griftdrift: How did you get started in the adult "novelty" business?
John Cornetta: Well, later I started doing shows in Charlotte N.C. and there I had little more money so I put some of the lingerie on display in a little store front. Next thing you know your adding a pair of dice, then a board game for adults. Then someone asks you can you get this and that. The rest is history really. But, the details, well some of them are that in 1993 a friend of mine from down in Florida, Bob Newman and I get together and he tells me he has started this magazine called Florida Xcitement and that I should do one in Atlanta. So I paid him some money and I started Atlanta Xcitement which I still own to this day. I sold the lingerie company about two years ago, I had that for about 14 years. Xcitement Magazine today prints and distributes free about 30,000 copies per month in adult clubs stores etc. See http://www.xcitementatlanta.com/ (http://www.xcitementatlanta.com/) if you want more information. Then through that I made a lot more friends and mentors etc, and I met a guy named Tom Gardner who owned a store in Gwinnett on Jimmy Carter, actually the only adult store in Gwinnett at the time. He called it Illusions. He wanted to sell, I bought it, changed the name to Love Shack and that became the first one.
griftdrift:Why open a store in Johns Creek?
John Cornetta: I bought a home in Johns Creek in 1998 or 99. I married and my wife moved in in 2000. I still own that home. It is less then 1 mile from the store. It is one of the only neighborhoods left in Johns Creek that does not have a home owners association and it never will because I will keep that home and as the land owner I will not consent... I wanted to open a store there for a long time, way before the movement to make it a city. Last year the liquor store changed hands and the new owner decided to downsize and rent out about 10,000 square feet. I was upfront with them from day one on what I wanted to do there.
griftdrift: Do you find it ironic that your Johns Creek store is located next to a rather large liquor store yet no one seems to mind that establishment?
John Cornetta: The world is [filled] with irony. I wouldn't pile on. What people do with their private life isn't my business. As long as they are not hurting others, I don't want myself, nor government, to get involved. What I find ironic is that a dance studio and a bus stop for a school seam to be the big deal here. First off bus stops are moving targets and dance studios don't qualify even under Johns Creek new adult entertainment ordinance.
griftdrift: Do you enjoy the controversy that tends to follow the opening of your stores? As a businessman do you consider it free publicity?
John Cornetta: I do not. I have lost weight ( which might not be bad ), been physically ill, had death threats. I have been picketed, my faith has been questioned, my morals etc. I would much rather live and let live. I have opened about 6 or 7 stores since Peachtree Parkway without much fan fare. I would rather have it that way. As for the advertising... I mean come on, lets not be coy, you can't buy the front page of the AJC and I don't think you can buy the opening 3 or 5 minutes on all the local channels. Yes it is free publicity, but it comes with a price.
griftdrift: Much of Atlanta's sex industry is located in less affluent areas (Cheshire Bridge Rd, Metropolitan Parkway, etc), yet you have several locations in more affluent areas. Do you think the controversy your store openings cause is a result of classism?
John Cornetta: Perhaps, I have studied the market. I am not that smart of a guy, but I still have enough to know better. In looking at the business I saw the same thing. But I noticed that if you had enough guts and money, could handle the first few volleys from the locals and or government, you could win. I will always win. It is just a matter of getting up one more time then them. I found that opening nicer stores in affluent areas has been a much better idea. It takes as much effort for our offices to manage a small 1,000 foot store as it does a 10,000 foot store yet we make much more. I see the future of my business as a merger of sorts. I envision Targets, Wal-Mart etc. A one stop shop. I like having a soft mix at about 99% of my stores. So when I decided to comply with Fulton County law and have 25% or less of my stock in trade as adult merchandise, there was no trick in it. We do very good with lube, lingerie, sheets, shoes, smoke products, cigars, etc.
griftdrift: How does working with Fulton County compare to working with other local governments?
John Cornetta: Let me tell you this straight from me, Steve Rosenberg is A-1 class all the way. He has taken a few free shots at me but most counties and locals change their attorneys monthly. Fulton has enjoyed pretty good protection over the years and the reason is Steve Rosenberg. Listen, Fulton went from 50% adult as the benchmark to 25% because of two people. Myself, and Steve Rosenberg. It is just too bad he doesn't have full control or this thing would have been handled a long time ago. If he were to run for Governor, I would back him. Now don't let Steve take a beating for this. He is not a yes man and he certainly is not on my side, he is just fair and balanced. He has his head on his shoulders. Mike Bodker by the way I think is also bright, likeable and approachable but I think he has already let power got to his head and he has let Lynne [gd: Lynne Riley, Fulton County Commission] in his ear. He is in trouble trust me.
griftdrift: What was being loaded on the panel truck on 12/21/06?
John Cornetta: The judge, when granting Fulton Counties preliminary injunction , error-ed. And he error-ed good. We knew it, I think Steve knew it, no one seamed to tell Mrs. Riely or Mr. Bodker based on their TV comments. He said it is a pad lock order. Then he said unless the 11th Circuit Court of appeals over rules him. Then he added, well that is unless the Love Shack has less then a " significant" portion of it's goods as adult. At this Cary Wiggins and H. Louis Sirkin, two of the three attorneys representing me on this said, uhh.. your honor could you please define significant so my client can comply.The judge said, no, my order is what it is. We were shocked! I mean talk about over broad and vague. It is like the new city of Johns Creek posting signs that say" Don't speed around here or else" with no speed limit. The judge's order is really bad. So bad that for the first time in my life in a court room, and I have to say I have been in many, the attorneys ordered a copy of the transcript right on the spot. Not just wait for the order, but to get a copy of every word said. They were high fiving each other, we looked at each other and laughed. We knew we could stay open. The laymen in the court room and the media were all confused. They were all asking us " hey what the hell just happened?".
So that day the county ( the prevailing party always does in Federal Court folks so our government can save tax dollars ) was asked by the judge to write the order as he had said. The next morning when Mr. Rosenberg sent it in, none of the judge's additional language was in it. So Judge Thrash, penned through it about ten times, hand wrote a ton of it and at the end added a star burst and had [written] that the order was good " unless the Love Shack offered for sales less then a significant amount of its stock in trade as adult. So that same day Alan Begner, the third attorney, wrote Mr. Rosenberg a letter where he stated that we intended to remove stock before the 3:00pm deadline set by the judge and add more non adult items to bring our inventory from about an already legal 18% ( the bench mark was 25% ) again down to a mind numbing 5%.... The county rejected our thoughts and said that they would consider even one DVD to be significant. Mr. Begner warned the county that comments made by Mrs. Riley were disturbing and that Judge Thrash's order was enforcible by a contempt motion only and NOT by padlock and someone needed to set her straight. They did. But through that night and in to the next morning and late afternoon, we were able to add about 30,000 purses, lingerie, magazines etc, and remove about 10,000 adult items. What you probably saw on the truck was the last of the 10,000 pieces to be removed. Trust me, I respect the legal system too much and the Constitution as a whole, to pull stuff out and bring it back and forth. It just isn't my style. I am upfront, all the way. After the inspection, the county decided that even at 5% we were in violation of the court order and filed for contempt. The judge has agreed to hear from all parties and on January 3rd, 2007 at 1:30 pm he will do so. What needs to be mentioned is that this judge never mentioned business licenses or occupancy permits or zoning. I think we won a lot more than the county did that day. He also barred Johns Creek from helping or appearing in Federal Court anymore and forbade them to assist the county further. We have however, still challenged the courts rulings in an appeal to the 11th Circuit and Friday we filed a motion for stay on the contempt hearing. I think from preliminary responses, that the circuit has a tremendous amount of interest in this case and will step up. The law of the land will change with this case and everyone here will have front row seats.
Read how Larry Flynt supports John while the ACLU doesnt and the rest of this excellent interview here. (http://griftdrift.blogspot.com/2007/01/john-cornetta-blog-interview-conclusion.html)
Read and be amused. Sic em John!
griftdrift: Why did you move from Boca Raton to Atlanta?
John Cornetta: Actually my path was a little different than that. I was born and raised in Piermont New York on the Hudson river just outside the city. Hunt this down but I saw some where that Mike Bodker (gd: mayor of Johns Creek) was born in Suffern N.Y. in 1965, that would make him one year younger then me and we would both have been born not only in the same county in New York, but at the same hospital in Nyack New York. Funny how the world is hey? Anyway, I moved back and forth between Boca Raton and NY from age 13 to about 20 or so, then stayed in South Florida until February 1990 at which time I moved to Atlanta. I came here to visit a sister who lived here with her boyfriend ( now husband of 13 years or so ). We had just sold a bar we operated in South Florida, we had a friend who put on lingerie fashion shows at our place two or three times a week. He made a lot of money, hung out with beautiful women..... It was a no brainer what I would do next. I was a trained professional chef. Worked with the best in the world. I turned down three full scholarship to the culinary art institute of my choice... I had had enough of food and beverage... So anyway, back here to Atlanta. No one was doing the shows, so I said, hey I'll move up here and try it. I had about $700 to my name, 100 pieces of lingerie and a car that would be taken back by the bank two months later. I was broke. I rented a town home in Dunwoody and started my business out of the town home. Called it Simply Irresistible Lingerie. Within in weeks I had competition, yet I managed to put them out of business and build that from 1990 to 1993 to doing more then 125 shows per WEEK and had about 25 models working for me. I am making this out to seem easy but if I had the time, these three years are enough for five movies. I slept on the floor, lost cars and the town home, took showers or a bath maybe once a week during portions of this period. I had high highs and some very low lows.
But oh what a life for a young man. Money started flowing in, beautiful women and I started meeting all the heavy weights in Atlanta. In fact they started to become my friends. Life long friends. We're talking guys in their late 50's and 60's befriending me and taking me under their wings. Guys like Johnny Espizito from Johnny's Hideaway. Bill Davidson from The Derby's. Ron Lombardi from Rascals, Ron Holcomb who owned Spinners and many others. But these guys, and Ron Holcomb and Bill Davidson may they, R.I.P., mentored me and took me in. Especially Mr. Lombardi and Mr. Davidson. They took me around. They helped pave my way in to a tight little circle of friends that ran all the watering holes back then. So that's how I came to and stayed in Atlanta...
griftdrift: How did you get started in the adult "novelty" business?
John Cornetta: Well, later I started doing shows in Charlotte N.C. and there I had little more money so I put some of the lingerie on display in a little store front. Next thing you know your adding a pair of dice, then a board game for adults. Then someone asks you can you get this and that. The rest is history really. But, the details, well some of them are that in 1993 a friend of mine from down in Florida, Bob Newman and I get together and he tells me he has started this magazine called Florida Xcitement and that I should do one in Atlanta. So I paid him some money and I started Atlanta Xcitement which I still own to this day. I sold the lingerie company about two years ago, I had that for about 14 years. Xcitement Magazine today prints and distributes free about 30,000 copies per month in adult clubs stores etc. See http://www.xcitementatlanta.com/ (http://www.xcitementatlanta.com/) if you want more information. Then through that I made a lot more friends and mentors etc, and I met a guy named Tom Gardner who owned a store in Gwinnett on Jimmy Carter, actually the only adult store in Gwinnett at the time. He called it Illusions. He wanted to sell, I bought it, changed the name to Love Shack and that became the first one.
griftdrift:Why open a store in Johns Creek?
John Cornetta: I bought a home in Johns Creek in 1998 or 99. I married and my wife moved in in 2000. I still own that home. It is less then 1 mile from the store. It is one of the only neighborhoods left in Johns Creek that does not have a home owners association and it never will because I will keep that home and as the land owner I will not consent... I wanted to open a store there for a long time, way before the movement to make it a city. Last year the liquor store changed hands and the new owner decided to downsize and rent out about 10,000 square feet. I was upfront with them from day one on what I wanted to do there.
griftdrift: Do you find it ironic that your Johns Creek store is located next to a rather large liquor store yet no one seems to mind that establishment?
John Cornetta: The world is [filled] with irony. I wouldn't pile on. What people do with their private life isn't my business. As long as they are not hurting others, I don't want myself, nor government, to get involved. What I find ironic is that a dance studio and a bus stop for a school seam to be the big deal here. First off bus stops are moving targets and dance studios don't qualify even under Johns Creek new adult entertainment ordinance.
griftdrift: Do you enjoy the controversy that tends to follow the opening of your stores? As a businessman do you consider it free publicity?
John Cornetta: I do not. I have lost weight ( which might not be bad ), been physically ill, had death threats. I have been picketed, my faith has been questioned, my morals etc. I would much rather live and let live. I have opened about 6 or 7 stores since Peachtree Parkway without much fan fare. I would rather have it that way. As for the advertising... I mean come on, lets not be coy, you can't buy the front page of the AJC and I don't think you can buy the opening 3 or 5 minutes on all the local channels. Yes it is free publicity, but it comes with a price.
griftdrift: Much of Atlanta's sex industry is located in less affluent areas (Cheshire Bridge Rd, Metropolitan Parkway, etc), yet you have several locations in more affluent areas. Do you think the controversy your store openings cause is a result of classism?
John Cornetta: Perhaps, I have studied the market. I am not that smart of a guy, but I still have enough to know better. In looking at the business I saw the same thing. But I noticed that if you had enough guts and money, could handle the first few volleys from the locals and or government, you could win. I will always win. It is just a matter of getting up one more time then them. I found that opening nicer stores in affluent areas has been a much better idea. It takes as much effort for our offices to manage a small 1,000 foot store as it does a 10,000 foot store yet we make much more. I see the future of my business as a merger of sorts. I envision Targets, Wal-Mart etc. A one stop shop. I like having a soft mix at about 99% of my stores. So when I decided to comply with Fulton County law and have 25% or less of my stock in trade as adult merchandise, there was no trick in it. We do very good with lube, lingerie, sheets, shoes, smoke products, cigars, etc.
griftdrift: How does working with Fulton County compare to working with other local governments?
John Cornetta: Let me tell you this straight from me, Steve Rosenberg is A-1 class all the way. He has taken a few free shots at me but most counties and locals change their attorneys monthly. Fulton has enjoyed pretty good protection over the years and the reason is Steve Rosenberg. Listen, Fulton went from 50% adult as the benchmark to 25% because of two people. Myself, and Steve Rosenberg. It is just too bad he doesn't have full control or this thing would have been handled a long time ago. If he were to run for Governor, I would back him. Now don't let Steve take a beating for this. He is not a yes man and he certainly is not on my side, he is just fair and balanced. He has his head on his shoulders. Mike Bodker by the way I think is also bright, likeable and approachable but I think he has already let power got to his head and he has let Lynne [gd: Lynne Riley, Fulton County Commission] in his ear. He is in trouble trust me.
griftdrift: What was being loaded on the panel truck on 12/21/06?
John Cornetta: The judge, when granting Fulton Counties preliminary injunction , error-ed. And he error-ed good. We knew it, I think Steve knew it, no one seamed to tell Mrs. Riely or Mr. Bodker based on their TV comments. He said it is a pad lock order. Then he said unless the 11th Circuit Court of appeals over rules him. Then he added, well that is unless the Love Shack has less then a " significant" portion of it's goods as adult. At this Cary Wiggins and H. Louis Sirkin, two of the three attorneys representing me on this said, uhh.. your honor could you please define significant so my client can comply.The judge said, no, my order is what it is. We were shocked! I mean talk about over broad and vague. It is like the new city of Johns Creek posting signs that say" Don't speed around here or else" with no speed limit. The judge's order is really bad. So bad that for the first time in my life in a court room, and I have to say I have been in many, the attorneys ordered a copy of the transcript right on the spot. Not just wait for the order, but to get a copy of every word said. They were high fiving each other, we looked at each other and laughed. We knew we could stay open. The laymen in the court room and the media were all confused. They were all asking us " hey what the hell just happened?".
So that day the county ( the prevailing party always does in Federal Court folks so our government can save tax dollars ) was asked by the judge to write the order as he had said. The next morning when Mr. Rosenberg sent it in, none of the judge's additional language was in it. So Judge Thrash, penned through it about ten times, hand wrote a ton of it and at the end added a star burst and had [written] that the order was good " unless the Love Shack offered for sales less then a significant amount of its stock in trade as adult. So that same day Alan Begner, the third attorney, wrote Mr. Rosenberg a letter where he stated that we intended to remove stock before the 3:00pm deadline set by the judge and add more non adult items to bring our inventory from about an already legal 18% ( the bench mark was 25% ) again down to a mind numbing 5%.... The county rejected our thoughts and said that they would consider even one DVD to be significant. Mr. Begner warned the county that comments made by Mrs. Riley were disturbing and that Judge Thrash's order was enforcible by a contempt motion only and NOT by padlock and someone needed to set her straight. They did. But through that night and in to the next morning and late afternoon, we were able to add about 30,000 purses, lingerie, magazines etc, and remove about 10,000 adult items. What you probably saw on the truck was the last of the 10,000 pieces to be removed. Trust me, I respect the legal system too much and the Constitution as a whole, to pull stuff out and bring it back and forth. It just isn't my style. I am upfront, all the way. After the inspection, the county decided that even at 5% we were in violation of the court order and filed for contempt. The judge has agreed to hear from all parties and on January 3rd, 2007 at 1:30 pm he will do so. What needs to be mentioned is that this judge never mentioned business licenses or occupancy permits or zoning. I think we won a lot more than the county did that day. He also barred Johns Creek from helping or appearing in Federal Court anymore and forbade them to assist the county further. We have however, still challenged the courts rulings in an appeal to the 11th Circuit and Friday we filed a motion for stay on the contempt hearing. I think from preliminary responses, that the circuit has a tremendous amount of interest in this case and will step up. The law of the land will change with this case and everyone here will have front row seats.
Read how Larry Flynt supports John while the ACLU doesnt and the rest of this excellent interview here. (http://griftdrift.blogspot.com/2007/01/john-cornetta-blog-interview-conclusion.html)