BREMERTON, Wash. -- Baristas at Espresso Gone Wild, a new Belfair, Wash., coffee stand, will have to cover up to meet the county's zoning laws.The stand's sister store in Gorst, Wash., features scantily clad baristas and "pastie Tuesdays and Fridays." But Mason County has ruled that such attire puts the stand in the category of "erotic entertainment," which is prohibited in the Belfair urban growth area.The stand was temporarily closed a week after its opening last month when county planners determined there were code violations, according to county Commissioner Tim Sheldon.Espresso Gone Wild is at the edgy end of a growing trend in the Seattle region toward the use of provocatively dressed baristas to sell coffee. The Gorst location regularly draws a steady lineup of cars on Tuesdays and Fridays, when some servers wear pasties.A citizens group voiced their concerns about the Belfair business last month at a meeting of the Mason County Board of Commissioners.Group member Heather Fredrickson said she sensed public discomfort with the paste-on breast ornaments and other skimpy attire worn by women at the Gorst store."In general, the community feels uncomfortable with its location," she said. "We don't feel like adult entertainment is what we want at the gateway to our community."Sheldon followed up on the group's complaints, and he and his staff found no provision in zoning code for "erotic entertainment," which is how the county classifies the attire in question.At first, county staff thought such use was only prohibited in mixed-use areas, which is where the stand is located, but such use is prohibited in all areas of the Belfair urban growth area, Sheldon said.In a letter to owners Phillip Olson and Jerry Wilson, the commissioners rendered their ruling, saying, "Given the absence of allowances for this use, either outright or with a special use permit, it is the county's interpretation that the use is prohibited."Attempts to Olson and Wilson were unsuccessful.Sheldon said he had not personally heard from the owners, but he understood that they now plan more modest attire for their Belfair branch."I'm getting the feeling they're willing to change their approach," Sheldon said. "We certainly have no problem with an espresso stand, but as it was originally proposed, it was erotic entertainment."Betty Wing, the county's director of operations, confirmed that the owners planned to modify the outfits for Belfair."They said they just didn't expect the backlash they've gotten," Wing said. "They indicated they will comply with the regulations."( Chris Hendry is a reporter for the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, Wash.)
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A half-caf no-foam latte with...pasties?
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I've visited the Gorst store
I've visited the Gorst store once and it was crazy there :)
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