A Cobb Superior Court judge has issued an order enjoining the Tokyo Valentino adult retail store in East Cobb from doing business after ruling it was operating without proper licenses.
In an order issued late Friday, Judge LaTain Kell ordered Tokyo Valentino closed after determining that the store, located at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, did not have a business license for 2021, nor did it have a special license required for sexually oriented businesses.
(You can read the full ruling by clicking here.)
The ruling also declared that Tokyo Valentino was improperly operating within 750 feet of a residential area and within 1,500 feet of a medical facility as well as operating in a zoning category not allowed for an adult business.
The ruling also said that Tokyo Valentino was staying open past its closing time of midnight. Sexually oriented businesses in Cobb must be closed between midnight and 6 a.m.
Kell’s ruling took effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday, and Tokyo Valentino was ordered to address all of those issues before the store would be allowed to reopen.
The ruling, which came after a hearing in Kell’s chambers last Tuesday, does not permanently close the store.
The county’s efforts to formally revoke its business license remains pending in Cobb Superior Court.
When we went by the store around 2 p.m. Monday, the doors were locked. An Amazon Prime truck was attempting to make a delivery and eventually drove away.
Signs located on the doors said the closure was “temporary” and referred customers to nearby Tokyo Valentino locations in Marietta and Sandy Springs.
“The Cobb County Superior Court heard evidence and argument on the County’s request for an order prohibiting Tokyo Valentino from operating without a County business license, and from violating the County’s sexually oriented business licensing and location rules, while the County’s case against the business proceeds,” Cobb County Attorney William Rowling said in a statement Monday afternoon.
“The County will continue to defend and enforce its ordinances enacted for the health, safety, and welfare of Cobb County residents.”
East Cobb News has left a message with Cary Wiggins, an attorney for Tokyo Valentino, seeking comment.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted last fall to revoke the store’s business license, saying it misrepresented what kind of business would be going there when it received a business license in March 2020.
The county charged that Tokyo Valentino falsely applied for a clothing store, then featured an inventory mostly of sex toys after opening in June.
After the store opened, Cobb commissioners overhauled the county code governing adult businesses.
Those provisions include some of the violations cited by the county in its motion for an injunction, including the distance and zoning requirements.
Tokyo Valentino owner Michael Morrison, who has been in lengthy litigation over his adult businesses with several other metro Atlanta jurisdictions, also filed a federal lawsuit against Cobb earlier this year, but that was dismissed in May.
Related stories
- Cobb seeks injunction against Tokyo Valentino during litigation
- East Cobb Tokyo Valentino store business license revoked
- Cobb commissioners overhaul sexually oriented businesses code
- Proposed Cobb code changes target sexually oriented businesses
- Editor’s Note: Is East Cobb really so uptight about a sex shop?
- East Cobb citizens speak out against new Johnson Ferry Road store
- Empty East Cobb retail building subject of sex shop concerns
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
