A private nuisance is a thing or activity that substantially and unreasonably interferes with a landowner’s use and enjoyment of his property, or with his interest in that property. (Edward J. Kionka, Torts in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition [St. Paul: West Group, 1999], p.312.) The test is whether “normal persons living in the community would […]
Capital Video Corporation
Capital Video Plays Hardball, Proposes Bondage Display for Store, Attorney Disses Community Opposition Ahead of December 14 Public Hearing
A month ago, Capital Video was talking up its “excellent relationship with its host communities”. General counsel Lesley Rich suggested that their store would be “designed in a ‘mainstream’ manner… Capital intends on opening an ‘upscale’ store in Northampton, and would be very receptive to discussions with the community on the look, feel and the […]
Breaking News: Capital Video Capitulates to New Zoning, Revises Plans for 135 King Street
Capital Video general counsel Lesley Rich initially dismissed Northampton’s new adult-use zoning ordinances as “totally illegal”, but it now appears the company has decided to accept them. Wayne Feiden and Carolyn Misch from Northampton’s planning department have just received an email from Capital Video attorney Michael Pill stating that they “will comply with all legally […]
Parking May Not Be a Trivial Issue for Proposed King Street Porn Shop II
As Northampton’s Planning Board prepares for its December 14 public hearing with Capital Video (7:00pm, 212 Main Street), we’d like to revisit the issue of parking at 135 King Street, the proposed site for Capital Video’s 6,222-square-foot retail shop. We earlier raised the issue of parking in our October 29 post, which questioned whether a […]
XBiz: “NoPornNorthampton Defeats Capital Video”
XBiz calls itself “The Industry Source” for adult business owners and webmasters. Today it reports that “An organized group that waged a local war against Capital Video from opening a large adult store in the middle of town was victorious… The decision to regulate the sale of adult content within town limits grew from a […]
Capital Video Disregards Community Concerns
In today’s Gazette (“What may follow new ordinances”), Capital Video general counsel Lesley Rich claims the company enjoys “an excellent relationship with its host communities”.If that’s the case, I wonder why Springfield residents and officials pushed back against the expansion of the Capital Video store at 486 Bridge Street. The store was established in 1990. Capital […]
Gazette: “Zoning laws set; But porn store’s plans unchanged”
Today’s Gazette reports on the City Council’s approval of adult-use zoning on November 2. The Republican also covers the story in “Council limits adult businesses”. Among other things, the new ordinances (see details) require that businesses with more than 1,000 square feet of adult material on display must locate in Northampton’s Highway Business District and be […]
Boston Globe Profiled Kenneth Francis Guarino in 1983
Kenneth Guarino started Capital Video in 1979. As early as 1983, The Boston Globe published a profile of him and his operations: …Although he was only 28 years old [in 1977], Guarino had become the biggest purveyor of pornography in New England…Guarino, who entered the business as a teenager, had risen to become one of […]
Parking May Not Be a Trivial Issue for Proposed King Street Porn Shop
Capital Video is proposing to build a 6,222-square-foot porn shop at 135 King Street. Their current plans call for 25 parking spaces, possibly less in the winter due to snow storage.In 1994, the Union-News made this observation about Bookends, a porn shop in Enfield: “The 44 Enfield St. Bookends, with a refurbished interior and 6,000-square-foot […]
Capital Video Representative Swears at NoPornNorthampton During Public Meeting
At today’s Planning Board meeting, NoPornNorthampton had a brief exchange with Capital Video’s Anthony Nota. Public documents submitted to the Planning Board list Mr. Nota as a Capital Video “project manager”. Mr. Nota is a large, tall man. He is pictured here standing in City Council chambers beside Capital Video’s lawyer, Michael Pill. Towards the end of […]