Adult store may locate in north Corbin

North Corbin could be home to an adult-oriented business in the near future if investors and organizers decide to proceed with groundwork laid earlier this year.
According to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office, Adult Depot – a limited liability company – was formed Feb. 1 and plans to do business at 920 Cumberland Gap Parkway in Corbin, a building formerly occupied by Three Knights Night Club. Tax records obtained through an open records request show the company as an adult entertainment and retail business.
Organizer Steve Hale, a Tennessee native, said the building is currently being remodeled only to house B & F Offroad Shop, a store that will specialize in four-wheeler supplies and service. Plans for Adult Depot, he says, are tenuous.
“That’s up in the air right now,” Hale said. “I don’t even know if it’s going to happen. I don’t think so. It’s up to our attorney.”
Rick Brewer, Director of the Laurel County Occupational Tax Office, said Hale filed an application with his office by mail Feb. 2 and claims Adult Depot will have six employees. The application says the store intended to begin operation Jan. 1.
“We have not corresponded with them and they have not been entered into the system, so apparently there was some problem with the application.”
Brewer added that the application probably lacked a federal tax ID number or some other mundane information.
Following in the footsteps of surrounding counties and cities, Laurel County adopted an ordinance strictly regulating adult-oriented businesses in March. The law requires steep business license fees, employee fees, square-footage requirements and mandates at least a 1,000-foot setback from any public access road.
Laurel County Judge-Executive Lawrence Kuhl said he’s heard only rumors about the store, and added that any adult-oriented business must seek a permit from his office before doing business in the county.
“I don’t think we can keep people from going into a private enterprise business, but we can maybe do some things to restrict and control what happens,” he said.
Kuhl said the county took action to pass the ordinance after Knox County wrangled with Dream World – an adult-oriented business on the Cumberland Gap Parkway in Gray.
Investors behind Adult Depot may be able to skirt the ordinance’s toughest restriction, though, requiring long setbacks from public roads. Since the company was organizes and incorporated before the county officially passed the ordinance, Kuhl said the store would likely be “grandfathered” in as far as it’s location, but would still have to pay fees and abide by other restrictions.
“They would probably be grandfathered in as far as their location is concerned, but there’s an annual fee and licensing they will have to abide by,” he said. “If he’s all legal and so forth, there’s nothing we can do besides collect the fees and so forth.”
Hale said he hopes that if Adult Depot opens it won’t be something unacceptable to area residents. He points to a voter referendum that passed in 2003 in the city of Corbin allowing alcohol sales at restaurants as evidence the business may be more accepted.
“It will not be a cave-dwelling and stuff … everybody always figures it’s going to be trashy … smut for the whole area. Well, it’s nothing like that. Hopefully, with Corbin going wet and everything … their ideas on that stuff has kind of eased up a little bit. We’ll just have to see if that happens.”