Topless Coffee Shop Gets Approval

Topless Coffee Shop Gets ApprovalPlanning Board OKs Application

January 8, 2009

VASSALBORO, Maine -- Planning officials in Vassalboro, Maine, approved a proposal for a topless coffee shop.The planning board reviewed the application and deemed it meets all of the ordinances regarding traffic, parking and lighting. The panel voted 5-0 late Tuesday to approve the project, Portland, Maine television station WMTW reported

.The proposed coffee shop would take over the former Mac Daddy's Pub at the Fat Cat Grille along busy Route 3.The owner kept a low profile until Tuesday's meeting. There have been restaurants and bars, but the building -- with a log-cabin facade-- has been empty for four years.Longtime Vassalboro resident Debbie Jordan, said she would prefer not to have a topless coffee shop move in."We just found out about it this morning and we are opposed to it," she said. "It's not going to bring in a good crowd, and we've had those kinds of things in the past with it being a bar and it can get very loud."Not everyone in the small town thought the proposal was a bad idea. Some neighbors said a former business at the same location used to bring in female dancers from time to time without any problems."I say, bring the money in," said Kevin Goodrich, a resident. "People need jobs and it's a good place to go. The economy's not very good right now, so why not do it?"The planning board has no jurisdiction over employee attire, and there is no ordinance in Vassalboro that prohibits adult entertainment.