The store is called Redrum, which is "Murder" spelled backwards. The owners, Flo Rutledge and Mike VanSyke, have stated that they find it curious that Anoka, the "halloween capital of the world", has concerns about their store. Various other members of the city, including an owner of a boutique a few doors down, are not so happy with Redrum. Beth Lennartson has voiced that "the kind of people it brings" around that area are "people they don't need."
Anoka recently was working on a project to attract more shoppers to their businesses through a marketing campaign, but in some opinions, that is the kind of attraction they do not need. Also, there are worries flitting through the community about illegal activity, although the police made an official report that there are, in fact, no illegal items or illegal activity going on.
One last worrying factor of this store is that the second floor of the building houses overflow classes for Sandburg Middle School. The owners have stated that they do not let underage kids into the store, but they have middle school children exposed to it everyday. Of course the children will be curious about what's inside if they aren't allowed in (in my opinion). The image the store sends out doesn't seem to be a good one, even if it is a Halloween store.
The article also quotes the Mayor to have said "...At the end of the day, people can rent their [buildings] to whoever they please." What can you do? If a business is making legitimate profit running a legal business, then one could argue what is the problem?
In my opinion, I believe it would be in the store's best interest to relocate, simply because of the complaints called in about it. I can see where the community is coming from, not wanting a store that sends out a bad image to the youth of the neighborhood. Stores like that make me feel, for lack of a better word, icky. Even though they monitor the age of people shopping in their store, I would be worried about various chains of events that could happen.. Including the purchase of things such as pipes going to underage kids. It's a tough situation.
Happy Halloween!
Stacey
2 comments:
Stacey I totally agree with you that these six girls get whatever they have coming to them. For christs sake if I were the judge I would send them immediatley to prison and let them wrot there until they die. I seriously think that the judicials on this case should seriously think of how bad these actions were and should even think about increasing their punishments DRAMATICALLY. I am astounded that anybody has this sort of evil contained inside of them.
You posted on the wrong blog post, buddy.
Honestly though, I'm basically infuriated!
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