Business is getting more difficult for the two adult book stores in San Mateo now that the city is investigating their history of building permits and forcing them to put windows in video viewing booths.
"We've never had a problem the same as the karaoke places. It feels like they're just picking on us," said Carlos Berber, manager of Jaybird Books on Third Avenue.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that requires entertainment venues to place a two-foot by three-foot window in all private rooms. The ordinance stems from recent problems at karaoke clubs suspected of offering prostitution in private rooms. For Jaybird Books, it means the 18 private video viewing booths will now require a window, significantly cutting down on the number of men who pay for porn.
The ordinance led the city to also investigate whether Jaybird Books and Secret Adult Superstore on El Camino Real obtained the proper permits for individual video viewing booths. If the stores didn't obtain the correct permits, the city can require them to stop using the rooms and impose fines until they are fixed, said City Attorney Shawn Mason.
Jaybird Books took out all the proper permits, said Berber. The owner of Secret Adult Superstore was unavailable for comment.
The booths represent about 50 percent of Jaybird Books' business. By adding windows, business will decrease dramatically, sending customers to other cities, Berber said.
The new ordinance probably won't put him out of business, but Berber said the windows are going to cost him at least $1,800 to install and must be done by Sept. 17.
Meanwhile, Berber is working with the city to find a way to decrease the size of the windows to give customers more privacy.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
The Best Cymbidium and Orchid Show and Sale held in the San Francisco Peninsula will be the … Read moreAnnual Cymbidium & Orchid Show and Sale hosted by the Gold Coast Cymbidium Society & Peninsula Orchid Society
“Side-splittingly funny and brilliantly chaotic” Read moreThe Play That Goes Wrong
What is a fantasy in music—a form, or a freedom shared between performers? Read moreViolin Fantasie: Polina Sedukh, violin, Irina Behrendt, piano
CA Is Burning said:
Providing Feedback said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.