Some Alexandria residents are hot about a sex shop ad they say crossed the line.
Foot traffic picks up in Old Town in spring, which means more eyes on signs like Lotus Blooms’ curbside ads. One particular ad turned a lot of heads and stopped some in their tracks. It’s for a class offering instruction in a certain sexual act described by two words associated with bubbles and employment. The two words, if uttered by themselves wouldn’t get much notice, put together raise some eyebrows.
“We haven’t had too many complaints about it,” said Cristen K, of Lotus Blooms. “We teach a lot of different workshops on a variety of topics."
The proprietors of Lotus Blooms describe the shop as a place where customers can discuss such topics, ask questions and make intimate purchases with candor and without judgment. It was started by nurses who saw a need and a niche to be filled.
"Mostly we just try to advertise because people don’t know there’s an education aspect to the store," Cristen K said.
But some parents and nearby businesses say such an ad is inappropriate, especially for children.
The classes are popular. The next session is sold out with a backlog from January. Next week there’ll be an advanced course in the same subject.
Alexandria officials said they have not received any recent complaints about the sign.
