Have a great one Ern!
Posted on 07/02/2009 6:44:47 AM PDT by Daffynition
For many, bikini-clad women and fireworks stands are sure signs that summer is here.
But some Puyallup citizens say the two don’t belong together.
Taking a clue from the area’s proliferation of bikini espresso joints, a stand called Nearly Naked Fireworks opened June 28 on the corner of North Meridian Street and Fifth Avenue Northeast.
Neighbors who live on the north end of downtown Puyallup are not happy. As of Wednesday afternoon, a total of 17 people had contacted Puyallup city officials to complain about the bikini fireworks stand.
One resident, Annie Starwich Claeys, said the main issue is the stand’s close proximity to Grayland Park, a popular destination for parents and their kids. The park is less than a block away from the fireworks stand, which occupies part of a Walt’s Auto Care Center parking lot.
The sign for the business – which reads “Nearly Naked Fireworks” in block letters, flanked by female silhouettes – is particularly offensive, Claeys said.
“We have lots of young families with young children who are walking past that every day to go to the park,” said Claeys, who has three children under 16. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate by a grade school or a park. It’s just tacky.”
Puyallup City Manager Gary McLean said city officials aren’t wild about having the bikini fireworks stand on Meridian, the city’s main thoroughfare. But there aren’t any laws under which the city can regulate the stand or its attention-grabbing sign, he said.
“Simply put, nudity is prohibited, but wearing a bikini is not,” McLean said. “Local governments are not allowed to regulate speech in the private sector, so we can’t censor the name.”
Business owner Rikk Martin said he decided to open the stand this year after noticing the success of coffee stands that employ bikini baristas.
“It seems like it sells coffee – it should sell fireworks,” Martin said Wednesday.
He said he thinks people who are upset about the business are overreacting.
“You see girls dressed as scantily clad as mine at any park you go to,” Martin said. “It’s nothing obscene.”
Outside the stand on Wednesday, one bikini-clad employee stood on the street corner holding a sign that read, “Discount Fireworks.” A few cars honked at her as they drove past.
A sign inside the fireworks tent read, “Don’t be afraid to stare... That’s what there here for [sic].”
One employee, 26-year-old Tiffany Shull, said she was happy to work in a bikini to beat the heat.
“On a day like this, you don’t want to be all geared up,” said Shull, who has an 8-year-old son and studies radiology at Tacoma Community College. “It’s very nice to wear this instead of sweats and a tank.”
Walt’s Auto Care Center, which owns the land the fireworks stand sits on, has received two complaints about the business, said Ken Pierce, a district manager for the auto care chain.
Pierce said enough citizen complaints could cause the company to reconsider whether to approve a lease agreement with Nearly Naked Fireworks next year.
“Any time you get people who are concerned, we take it seriously,” Pierce said.
The fireworks stand will close for the year the evening of July 4. Martin said he’s not sure whether he will open a fireworks stand with the same concept next year.
Steve Shores, another Puyallup resident who wrote the city to complain, said he thinks the fireworks stand gives people a negative image of the community as they drive down Meridian Street.
“It is the gateway to Puyallup,” Shores said. “We need to put our best foot forward there. Are we really doing that?”
O...M...G...!
I’ll take it!
I’d be absolutely thrilled to have the little boat that sits way up high, under the radar bridge.
Beautiful picture...
Have a great one Ern!
“I wonder how many people know how to pronounce “Puyallup”... :-)”
I played that joke (pronouncing towns, rivers etc) on my family when I moved them here from MS. It was hilarious!
Buy one, get one free?
One can hope right...
Whatever you say, cupcake.
Namibia?
Haven’t been there, yet. But I would love to go.
With a gun and a guide.
Those are nice sparklers.
Ability to pronounce "Oregon" is the first elimination round.
I thought the Stonehenge monument was a neat tribute to World War II and the view was incredible. Didn't know there was a mansion.
One of these days, what I would like to do, is drive from San Jose to Tulsa, during Ski season. My dream would be to hit a resort a day on the way and come back through the southern route.
I have been to the painted desert many times but, I would really like to just go for a hike. The colors, and how they change are fascinating.
From there I want to find that new “Glass Ledge” overlooking the Grand Canyon and just walk it for few minutes. Then head back south to Sedona to stay at a little hotel I like that overlooks the valley. “Cloud” something or other.
From there, my favorite place to stay is the Fess Parker in Santa Barbara. Right on the ocean.
Next stop, Ventana, in Big Sur. Fabulous food.
I think it would take about three weeks to do all that unless I got bored and wanted to get back to work
Last time I drove through Yakima, there was a welcome sign that said, “Welcome to Yakima: The Palm.Springs of Washington”.
If you have been there, you know how stupid that is.
It’s beautiful. Hunting is excellent, and along the coast, the fishing superb.
Three syllables. The accent is on the second syllable, which is pronounced like the name "Al".
Puyallup ----> pyu-Al-up
Happy 4th to you. These are the kind of fireworks we can handle.......
We just go down to Ohio for those.......too bad we can’t get the salesmanship they have in Washington.......
Why stop there?
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