Jonesboro vs. Adam & Eve: A Tale of Official Ignorance (AVN)

Read the full article by Mark Kernes at AVN.com

JONESBORO, Ark.—When AVN reported on the Eighth Circuit decision to uphold a local judge's ruling denying Steve Norman a permit to open an Adam & Eve franchise store at 1518 S. Caraway Rd. in Jonesboro, we had little idea of the shenanigans the city had pulled to keep the store out of town—or the unbelievable ignorance expressed by city officials in denying the Normans a certificate of occupancy after having already granted them a privilege license to begin the remodeling of the existing building, a former Payless shoe store.

The tale has its beginnings in the arcane system under which potential business owners attempt to get their businesses approved by the city. According to the city's current (undated) Privilege License Application, obtaining such a license requires three steps: 1) Visit the Planning/Zoning Department for approval for any business; 2) Have a Certificate of Occupancy Inspection ordered with the Inspections Department; and 3) Submit application to Collections Office for fee payment. So, since Norman did obtain a Privilege License—in fact, two of them!—for his Adam & Eve franchise, one has to assume that he followed the above steps—even though Chief City Inspector Tim Renshaw claimed in his deposition that he'd never been asked to inspect the A&E store's renovations—and claims that Norman would be lying if he said he'd asked Renshaw to inspect the store in preparation for the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.

"The City Attorney told me and the City Collector when I applied for the permit 'he can operate anywhere within the city limits with no restrictions,' and testified under oath as such," Norman told AVN—and indeed, the Privilege License Application states, "If you are an Arkansas business based outside of the Jonesboro city limits and already possess a business license from another Arkansas city, you only need to fill out this Privilege License application and return it to the Collections Office. The City of Jonesboro will honor your other license."

Norman indeed owns two other Arkansas-based A&E franchises, one in Little Rock and one in Fort Smith, and although his proposed Jonesboro store would have been within the Jonesboro city limits, it's reasonable to assume that he was nevertheless issued his first Privilege License in 2017 based on those other business ownerships.