Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 25, 1977, edition 1 / Page 58
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D12 The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, August 25. 1977 Films, aids, toys and books something for everyone at local porn store By MEREDITH CREWS Staff Writer If you browse in the small book store at 403 West Franklin Street, you won't find the works of William Shakespeare, John Milton, or even the popular novels by Jacqueline Susann. Instead, you will find hard-core sex publications, explicit films, candy panties, life-sized inflatable dolls, erotic toys, sexual aids and nine different types of vibrators. The Enquirer Adult Book Store is operated by F. M. Crawford, who said business has been profitable since the doors first opened three years ago. "I've had all types of people come in my store," Crawford said. Professors, students, housewives, doctors, lawyers and even an out of town minister as a regular customer. I would say three out of every 10 customers are women. "Just as many homosexual customers come in the store as straight customers," he said. "As a matter of fact, business boomed during the Southeastern Gay Conference. I know many of my customers are gay because they tell me their sexual preferences. "One man came into the store and bought a book called Gay Guide" Crawford said. "He was leaving the country and wanted to know how to find gay bars in foreign cities." Whether a person is homosexual or heterosexual cannot always be determined by the kinds of material purchased. "Some of my customers, who are openly gay, watch straight films," he said. "On the other hand, some straight men really enjoy books and films about lesbians." The Enquirer Adult Book Store sells several publications for different kinds of sexual preferences. These include the areas of homosexuality, lesbianism, masturbation, bondage, transvesticism, and straight hard-core pornography. The films (or peep shows) deal with the same areas as the publications. There are also choices of black couples, white couples or interracially mixed couples appearing in the films. "The films are the money-makers at adult bookstores, not the publications," Crawford said. "A customer puts 25 cents into the slot in the projector. It takes about $2 worth of quarters to see the entire film. Ifl J feb 4 f Yr LohJ rr-ri i t i rJI-p it :" ' ''51 k . si fe9f IWmI fiwM riiwawawWtaMjS In 1 f 1 1 Iln in. , n LJ- ; mm i.. tifrrfo'ft-? Prnce, iex ozarre, Parfc Pick-Up and Drag Dar'ng they're all here and they're all in color at the Enquirer Book Store. The sign might say that movies are 25 cents, but it can take ten quarters to see the entire film. Staff photo by L C Barbour "They looked at the glass case filled with vibrators and asked me to explain the differences in each one. They were amazed that there could be so many types. Actually, vibrators are the second best selling sexual aid next to condoms." According to Crawford, there are not many people who ask for sadism; masochism materials. "I don't carry w hips or leather goods, but I do carry magazines dealing with bondage. "We also rent films and projectors," he added. "A customer can rent six films and a projector for about $23. Most of these films are rented to individuals, but 1 have rented them to fraternities, sororities, bachelor parties and to the university for psychology and other classes. "As a matter of fact, a class of nursing students visited my store as part of a human sexuality class," he said. "I showed them free films and they really had a good time." "One lady comes in the store every week with a man. She points out which of the bondage magazines she wants and he pays for them. I would say they buy about $30-$40 worth of material each week. "The sadism masochism films really don't make much money here. Most of our films are couples making love, whether the films are for gays or straights. I once had a gay film with one of the characters tied-up and acting unwilling to cooperate with the other actor. This particular film didn't make but $5 in one week, so I haven't ordered any like it since then," Crawford said. "In the past, I've carried kiddie porn, which features children engaging in sexual acts. However, I do not carry this type of thing anymore. My customers aren't really interested in this sort of thing and there has been a lot of pressure to take it off the market. "J haven't had any trouble with the law around here. The first day I opened the shop, someone from the Chapel Hill Police Department came over here and looked at some of the films. He said he would come back and look over the materials to see if there were unsuitable publications that needed to be removed. But he never came back. "A law professor came in here and went through the stuff and told me the publications had absolutely no literary value at all. I told him that if you took the Holy Bible to India, it wouldn't have any literary value for the Hindus. "I've never had much trouble from my customers. There are a few weird people that come in here. One guy wears a dog collar around his neck with dogtags, but he's never bothered anybody. "I do think this material is harmful to mentally unstable people. Some man might come in the store and see the bondage magazines and think that's the kind of thing you're suppose to do to a woman. "I've only had to throw one person out of here. A student came in here and started calling some of my customers derogatory names. I told him to leave, but he started shouting about his freedom of speech, so I took him by the collar and threw him out on the sidewalk." Crawford, 50, owned a shoe store in Durham before he came to Chapel Hill. "I don't need the money and I just work here to keep busy. I've traveled all over America and I've been in several foreign countries. But I tell you, I've never met any nicer people than those who have visited this store." VM' W WW ''' ''' '. ,. ,,,,, w vsw. mm- ,. , o ' V, Y. '', V'' ', y. v,. v, ', Wt, W wm ips WM wmrwM . ' ,.,,sSt. r.y. mm mm. 'mm 'mm. wm wm wm v? - rtT " ' r r r r I ' I Clothes make the man, woman, child, prof.. Clothes buying is che aper at area thrift shops f r v f UJhd a beautiful waij L fo$ world. ( w Diane seines heffosnion flair on eyewear i id on you Diane Von f urstenberg fashion fqeuiear l0 Op'tQu Ok. Mono University Opticians 10 fiMon ... University Square ' r 10-6 Mon. Fri.. Downtown Chapel Hill 942-8711 (Q) 10-2 Saturday ' ' By PAT GREEN Staff Writer "Handwoven Guatemalan Shawls 15 cents. Ladies' Long Velvet Skirts $1, Men's Fine Cotton Shirts 25 cents!" Come-ons for your "Family Shopping Store's Bargain Bonanza? No, these prices and product descriptions are lor real, althotigh you are not likely to see them advertised in the paper. The stores that offer true bargains like these nearly every day of the year can't afford much advertising. If you have been finding some of the necessities of life unaffordable lately, or if you just want to avoid swelling the ranks oi Americans who are now spending over $60 billion a year on new clothes, then you might want to consider patronizing a nearby Goodwill or the local PTA Thrift Shop. These two businesses are capitalizing on the extravagances of our society and using their profit capital to provide community services. Once patronized mainly by low-income shoppers, these second-hand stores have become playgrounds for the wealthy and frequent haunts of students, actors, artists, lunch-hour adventurers almost anyone with a passion for dressing ingeniously and inexpensively. "Some of the best-dressed women in Chapel Hill outfit their families here," said Linda Bailey, manager of the PTA Thirft Shop at 508 W. Franklin St. And Brevard Brown, manager of the four Goodwill stores in the area (one in Raliegh, three in Durham), agrees that second-hand bargains are being snapped up by representatives of all economic groups, not just those on limited budgets. "There has been a definite breakdown of the idea that '1 don't want to shop at Goodwill,' " Brown says, adding that part of this is due to a "more informed public" and part to Goodwill employees' (some of them are handicapped) efforts to "upgrade the quality of the merchandise." These stores are neat and clean and not unpleasant to shop in. The clerks are also exceptionally courteous. Both Bailey and Brow n are proud of this, and of the fact that all clothes that reach the display-floor bins are first cleaned. These "bin clothes" sell from 10 cents and up. All clothes that aie displayed on racks are not only cleaned but also pressed. Hanging goods start at 25 cents (for 100 per cent combed cotton shirts) and go up to $5 (for designer dresses). Ms. Bailey adds that "once in a great while" she will mark a men's designer suit (like an "Oscat De Larenta") up to $8. but only if it is of exceptional quality and in superb condition. "This is a wonderful place for young men w ho are starting their first real jobs to come salvage stores. Bailey loves to tell of the "Diane Von Furstenburg" (desiger dress) that sold for $5, and the Harris tweeds that come and go without regard to the weather. Why would someone give away such an expensive and often exquisite piece of clothing? Both managers say that it is precisely the sort of people who can afford to buy exceptionally nice things to begin with who can later afford to give them away. People also change sizes "If you would rather remain anonymous while browsing, how do you get the most out of this independent salvage shopping without emerging looking like second-hand Rose?" and pick up an extra sportcoat or a neatly cut vest to fill out their working wardrobes," Bailey advises. The PTA does seem to attract many male customers of all ages, and Brown says males are not shy about stopping by Goodwill either. Brown chuckles quietly as he tells of several of his "regulars" professors who started coming to the stores to browse among the old books. These customers began by buying ties, belts and other leather goods, and worked their way up to cardigans, shirts, suits, trenchcoats, even offbeat presents for the ladies in their lives. Bailey reports that athletes, both male and female, also find salvage shops attractive, largely because of the steady stream of unusual T-shirts and colorful gym shorts that pass through such stores. These sportsmen, like other good customers, often donate their collected closet treasures before moving away from the area. "The University community is by nature a transient one," explains Bailey, and this is "a real advantage for our shoppers because we have a continuous supply of interesting and varied goods." Because donors often bought the clothes new and in faraway markets, one can often find "originals" or locally unavailable brands in college community or just become bored with a certain color or style and into the donation boxes go the "Pierre Cardin's" and "Bill Blass's," the hand crocheted hats and leather-crafted bags and belts. Donors aren't the only ones who change sizes, of course. Shoppers who change sizes frequently or often have difficulty finding a particular size in conventional retail stores may be in luck at PTA or Goodwill. Both staffs try to get to know such customers and, when an employee spots something nice (that looks like it might fit an extremely large or small or short or tall patron) the managers will give the appropriate customers a call. Goodwill and PTA also encourage customers to call them if they are looking for something special. If you would rather remain anonymous while browsing how do you get the most out of this independent salvage shopping without emerging looking like second-hand Rose? First, both managers agree ' that the shoppers who consistently get the "real buys" are those who drop in frequently and stay for at least an hour every time. "We put out fresh merchandise about every 15 minutes," says the PTA boss, as she points out several customers who spend two or more hours daily combing the racks and chatting with fellow bargain scouters. Brown says most of his goods turn over fairly rapidly, and mentions that clothes that do remain in a Goodwill store for more than a few weeks are automatically marked down. Please turn to page 13. Little Professor Book Center Paperback Classics & New Releases Hardcover Fiction & General Non-fiction Dictionaries, Study Guides & Maps Magazines & Newspapers, Domestic & Foreign New York Times & Washington Post, Daily & Sunday Little Professor BOOS( CENTER University Square, West Franklin St. (Next to Granville Towers) Downtown Chapel Hill Open seven days ft week Clarence's par&rill Monday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. Til 2:00 a.m. Sunday 1 p.m. Til 1 a.m. FREE BEER TONIGHT while it lasts The Kegs Will Be Tapped at 7 p.m. We'd like to welcome back all our old friends and welcome you new ones, too. Come on out and let's party tonight. Part of the Carolina Tradition for Over a Quarter Century Conserve Water!! i s i i I i W Franklin St Clarence's Bar & Grill Fowler Food Store But nation
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Aug. 25, 1977, edition 1
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