Interview with John Cornetta From the Love Shack
| Interview with John Cornetta From the Love Shack |
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Today, we present a detailed interview John Cornetta. He talks about the case, about himself and about matters that will probably continue to impact Johns Creek for months to come.
1) For those who don't know, could you explain a little bit about your personal background? How did a guy from New York Jersey end up getting under peoples' skin in Atlanta? I was born and raised in New York, I was raised a Catholic and was an alter boy for 4 years. My family owned a marina on the Hudson River and I attended public schools. My parents sold the marina, Cornetta’s Seafood Restaurant and Marina, in 1977 and we moved to Boca Raton Florida. I then attended school in Florida, moved back to New York, graduated in New York and bounced back and forth between these two states for years. In the mid 1980’s I owned several clubs and bars with my parents in both New York and Florida. While in Florida I met a guy who was doing lingerie fashion shows for us in our bar. He was making a lot of money, was surrounded by lots of girls, so I thought I can do this too. He became a friend so I didn’t want to do it in Florida & New York was no longer appealing as most of my family was now in Florida except one sister who was living in Dunwoody Georgia with her husband. I asked around, this was in February 1990, and everyone was saying Atlanta is the next big thing. By this time our bar was not doing well, and I was just getting out of a failed relationship. So I packed up my belongings and moved to Atlanta and started doing Lingerie Shows in bars and grills all over Atlanta. As far getting under peoples’ skin, the ones I talk to don’t feel that way and from what I’m shown your poll doesn’t think so either.
2) The Love Shack is a small part of your business dealings. What other businesses do you own or have involvement with?Well I wouldn't say The Love Shack is a small part it's a rather large part. I own business interests in many different companyIES that operate many things not only in Georgia but in other states and in other countries as well. I publish Atlanta Xcitement since 1993 it is a magazine that acts as a guide to Atlanta’s night life and centers on Atlanta’s Adult Entertainment businesses. I also publish two industry trade publications one for the swimwear & lingerie industry and one for owners of Adult Stores. I own interests in various clubs, bars, AND restaurants. I own an internet Hosting and Development Company. I own several smoke shops. I also am in the manufacturing business. All in all I think I employee over 300 people. The businesses listed on my corporate website www.cornetta.com just barley scratch the surface. I also own several other adult themed stores in Atlanta that are not named Love Shack.
3) What lead you to open the store in Johns Creek?I never did, I opened it in unincorporated Fulton County to be precise. I own a home in that area which is now Johns Creek. I scouted the area for years looking for a viable location. The area was in dire need of a nice store that offered some adult products; of this I have no doubt. I spent a lot of money to build out that location and to stock it. Then to have to rearrange the stock over and over because of this nonsense that to me just makes no sense at all. Why should the people of Johns Creek have to drive somewhere else to buy something they desire? This is the funny part. If you live on the border area of Gwinnett and Johns Creek you have to leave Gwinnett County and drive in to Johns Creek to buy liquor from a liquor store because they are against the law in Gwinnett County and if Johns Creek didn’t have The Love Shack the people of Johns Creek would have to drive to Gwinnett to buy their adult DVD’s or magazines. Now where is the logic in that?4) What are the nuts and bolts issues of this case?This case is very simple when you boil it down to the nuts and bolts, and I will make this very easy to understand because those opposing me will do anything they can to cloud these facts. A great lawyer once told me a story. He said John “When the law is against you, pound the facts, when the facts are against you, pound the law, and when they’re both against you, pound the table!” This is exactly what Fulton County and now Johns Creek has done. They both knew early on that both the law and the facts were against them and so all they have done since is “pound the table”. They have done everything in their powers to muddy the case, act improperly and I believe to some extent when all is said and done the facts will show that unfortunately some have acted illegally.
I opened legally and they know it, Steve Rosenberg knows it. I have been battling with Steve for years now, when I first started Fulton Counties ordinance was 50% as the threshold for adult businesses. I helped write the one that currently exists through defeating the 50% one. I know that ordinance better then any commissioner in Fulton County. My intent was never to go beyond that 25% and I never will. Now the other side will say this is a zoning issue and Cornetta can have his Love Shack but not at that location, that there are plenty of alternative locations available for me to move to and that this location does not zone for adult entertainment. To them I say these things. I do not want to be an adult business. I want to be a general retail store that carries some amount of explicit media, non obscene explicate media which is presumptively protected by the Georgia and United States Constitutions. This is easy stuff, not hard at all. Some amount must be allowed according to both Georgia and US law. The next thing I would say is show me the locations. There are none anyway. The largest zoned area is Johns Creek Tech Park……………… Well not any more, you see I opened a Bar there called Equity VIP and Lynne Riley emailed just about everyone she knew asking if I was opening up a strip club there ( I have the emails ) so the association at her request passed a ground ordinance saying none of the land could be used for any type of adult business. They have no argument and it is my belief that members of Fulton County and Johns Creek governments conspired against me on both the Love Shack issue and on the liquor license for Equity VIP. Now I do not just say this, the Vice Chairman of Fulton County has already admitted this on his video taped deposition.
5) What are the potential outcomes of the case? What are the best and worst case scenarios?Well I am not sure of the worst case scenario because I know if you push long enough the public and the judicial system eventually get tired of the guy “banging the tables” and then you win, so I will just stick to what I know and that is full vindication. The bad news for Johns Creek and Fulton County is going to be the legal fees and damages that the poor citizens will end up paying me when this witch hunt ends.Comments (2)
  written by Phyllis, June 20, 2008
I live around the corner from the Love Shack and patronize DC beverage at times. I see nothing wrong with the store and I belive it has every right to be there. This is the USA, as long as it doesn't infringe on my civil rights I say stay.
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Like it or loathe it ... if people from outside of the Atlanta area know one thing about John's Creek it is the Love Shack. The battle between the City Counil and John Cornetta, owner of the adult store, has dominate the city's first year.
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He's just a public servant! What a guy! What a neighbor! He's just misunderstood, the big lug. He's devoted his life to meeting "needs" and now his neighbors don't appreciate him.
Ack.