It’s a curious phenomenon, isn’t it? The way certain businesses, often associated with the bright lights of big cities, have started to quietly set up shop in the most unexpected places – our small towns. Take Abilene, Kansas, for instance. For a while, the biggest local news was likely about President Eisenhower. Then, one morning, a 61-foot-tall sign appeared, announcing that a former Stuckey's truck stop had been transformed into an "adult superstore." Imagine the surprise! Local officials, like Karen McMillan in charge of zoning, were caught off guard, admitting, "It was a sneaky deal. They came in in the middle of the night. We thought it was a boot outlet."
This wasn't just an isolated incident. Abilene, a town steeped in Old West history, found itself grappling with this new reality. But it turns out, this trend wasn't confined to Kansas. Similar stores began popping up near Newton, Iowa; Buckhorn, Missouri; and Sawyer, Michigan. In fact, a 65-mile stretch of Interstate 70 in Kansas alone saw three such stores open, two of them since August. It seems the allure of the "freeway porn" business was strong.
What’s driving this migration to rural outlets? Well, it seems to have a lot to do with zoning laws, or perhaps, the lack thereof. Larger cities often have intricate regulations, pushing adult businesses to less desirable industrial zones, dictating operating hours, parking, and even liquor licenses. Small towns and counties, on the other hand, tend to have simpler zoning, often just segregating property into residential, farm, or business categories. This makes it easier for these businesses to find a foothold.
Mark Kerns, a senior editor at Adult Video News, pointed out the practicalities: "The cities have gone so crazy with zoning, it's difficult to find places to open stores. Where else are they going to go but outside the city?" And the demand? It's apparently as robust as ever. Last year, the adult film industry reportedly produced 11,000 movie "titles," a stark contrast to Hollywood's less than 1,000. With thousands of stores dedicated to adult videos and many more with "adults only" sections, the market is clearly there.
Interestingly, about half of these "freeway porn" stores are corporately owned. Kat Sunlove, an adult movie actress turned lobbyist for the Free Speech Center, views this expansion positively. She calls it "capitalism at its best," seeing it as a natural evolution where businesses follow the market. It’s a fascinating intersection of commerce, regulation, and community values, playing out in the quiet corners of America.
