KAYSVILLE -- Lingerie-clad mannequins in the store windows of Pretty You Boutique have some residents demanding a cover-up from the mayor and city officials.
The old-fashioned, large windows of the storefront are the reason Christy Allen opened her bra boutique on Main Street. Allen said she picked the old building because "it has class."
Allen knew when she chose the location it would probably raise a few eyebrows, "but I didn't think there would be this much contention."
The shop opened July 5 directly south of the Kaysville Theatre. Some parents waiting in line to attend movies have been upset about the window display, said Mayor Steve Hiatt.
"I get it, I understand," he said. "I have a 7-year-old son myself."
Hiatt said he received "more phone calls and emails about this business than any other in the city" in his tenure as mayor.
The only issue that heated up the phone lines and computers more is the proposed Legacy corridor on the west side.
Hiatt said the biggest concern he has heard is that the business is so close to the discount theater, which is a favorite place for families.
"I understand (residents') concerns of displaying things that may be immodest," Hiatt said.
Allen said she recently made changes to the display and will consider other suggestions, but will not cover the windows.
"Once you cover the windows, you enter the realm of the adult shop, and I'm not an adult shop," Allen said.
She said most of those who have called her, emailed her or left comments on her blog have been "very kind and polite" with their suggestions.
A public relations graduate of Montana State University and a mother of four, Allen, who is also a major in the Army Reserve, wanted to start her own business. She said she opened the boutique because she believes women should have better choices when it comes to their undergarments.
City employees who work across the street from her building have visited her often to let her know about concerns residents have expressed.
Allen plans to do a brief presentation about her boutique at the Aug. 2 city council meeting.
A breast cancer survivor, she offers bras for post-surgical wear. She also has lingerie that fits the most petite women and the plus sizes, as "well as everything in between."
"If I can survive chemo, I can survive this," Allen said.
Janalyn Holt is co-owner Pepperbelly's Restaurant on Main Street, two blocks north of the boutique.
In 2003, Holt helped organize "Women for Decency," a nonprofit organization. She now serves as chairwoman of the executive board.
"I'm very much an advocate for protecting children and saving families from indecency that invades our communities," she said.
Holt heard concerns from neighbors and visited Allen at the boutique.
"When I walked into the store, I really didn't see anything that I would not see in JC Penney. Victoria Secret is much more suggestive," she said.
But she is concerned that "the largest window display in Kaysville is lingerie."
Holt said she hopes Allen, "who came across as very professional," can make her business a success and the window displays "more family-oriented."
She has heard from others who are circulating petitions that will be presented to the city council.
Hiatt said there is little the city council can do about the boutique's displays because it is not a sexually oriented business.
He visited the store with another city employee Tuesday and found nothing violating city ordinances or state laws. Hiatt said the city cannot make Allen hide her merchandise from public view.
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