FARGO (KFGO) – Enchantasys, a Fargo company that has been circulating a petition to recall a new City of Fargo zoning ordinance, was unable to gather the required signatures, but their owner said Tuesday that the new ordinance does not apply to their two stores as they currently operate.
Owner Kim Patterson said they felt the new ordinance, which went into effect Jan. 4, threatened to change the classification of their business from “retail” to “adult.” That change would have restricted Enchantasys, a company that sells sexual toys, lingerie, and other products, from allowing anyone under 18 years old from entering either of the stores.
Patterson said they recently received clarification that the new ordinance does not retroactively apply to Enchantasys.
“This means that we will continue to do business as usual and we will not be making any changes to how we operate, the health and wellness services we provide, or the products we carry. It also means the City of Fargo recognizes us as a regular retail store and we will not be labeled an adult establishment, which was our main concern as, again, it is not what our focus is, or what we are about,” Patterson said. “We will continue to work to be the premiere health and wellness business in the community”
Patterson said the new ordinance does restrict Enchantasys from adding a location, moving locations, or making changes to either of their current locations. She said she doesn’t know what constitutes a change, and is seeking further clarification from the City of Fargo.
“Can we paint? Can we put a sign up?” Patterson asked. “It talks about, ‘if a building is destroyed.’ If a tornado comes through, does that mean we can’t open again? It’s things like that.”
Enchantasys began circulating the petition late last month. They needed around 2,500 signatures, but fell significantly short of that number. Patterson said the weather played a big role in missing Tuesday’s deadline.
“While the vast majority of folks we approached supported us, it was just the wrong time of year to get in front of as many people as we needed to,” Patterson said.
Patterson said they will continue to work with the City of Fargo and have asked the City to make changes to the ordinance, “to ensure that health and wellness businesses such as ours are not labeled as adult bookstores or otherwise discriminated against based on outdated norms and unsupported fake findings.”
