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 (13)
  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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 written by joe, October 01, 2008
YOU are not wanted here. Take your cigar and your thinning hair along with the trash you peddle elsewhere you POS. You are not a businessman, you are a low-life scumbag and people don't like having cockroaches like you around. And now you have to leave, go away and don't come back you big fat loser.
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 written by Terrance, October 27, 2008
The issue is not whether John's Creek infringed on the rights of a legitimate small business....
Anything run by John Cornetta is not a legitimate small business. I support the adult industry, and I am all for the rights of individuals and small businesses over governments and large corporations, but this man is beyond misguided. He is a bully, and a megalomaniac. He sleights his staff, customers, vendors, landlords, and pretty much all his employees, associates and business contacts at every possible turn, guided by false bravado and mistrust. This man has a cancerous ego, that only worsens in desperation as all his business missteps and brash overcalculations start to add up and frustrate him. He's a bad employer, a bad businessman, and now he's overplayed his hand pretty badly. report abuse
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 written by John Cornetta, February 09, 2009
Wow mom, dad, ... they love me they really love me!
 oh please. Does anyone have anything intelligent or rational to add to the conversation or is the posters just children of the WWF? Actually I can only take slight offense to the previous two posts by Joe and Terrance. Brenda while clearly against the store and my philosophy is articulate, witty and funny while remaining clearly not in my camp. Phyllis is a true American and libertarian and I thank her. But Joe and Terrance come now boys. Joe has something pent up inside. An anger against cigars and the revenue they generate( about 1 billion dollars in the US alone each year) people with thinning hair (I bet that's half us guys in Georgia)and even Italian Irish American Cockroaches (which I don't even know what they are and even a Google search like so could not help "Italian Irish American cockroaches" I mean Joe you certainly are the bright one. Perhaps we could have a spelling contest? Now on to Terrance oh Terrance lets see who could you be? My first guess is ....... oh let me just go on and say it ... Matt! There but I could be wrong. But hmm this sounds like a disgruntled somewhat educated ex-employee. I mean again where are the facts? Is anything added to the debate here? This person claims to have more knowledge of and about me then my lawyers, parents, wife and wait ME! I mean this person knows with complete assurance and with 100% accuracy my relationships and dealings with my staff, about 250, my customers, too many to count but no less than 30,000 renters in metro area alone, my vendors about 100 plus, my landlords, about 10 most of whom I don't even know, and "and pretty much all his employees " I think that's a repeat Terrance, yes I'm certain it is, and last my associates and business contacts, oh that must number in the mid to high thousands. Wow Terrance your amazing, you have done what no one has ever done before, Nielsen ratings and the US Census Bureau are looking for guys like you buddy! Give me a break an obvious disgruntled someone and as I originally stated "somewhat" educated. I stand by that and give you that just because you only had one spelling error in your entire rant, over calculations is two words oh small brained one. That is the only points for intelligence you receive as you have added nothing else. Let me get this straight. Your statement of "The issue is not whether John's Creek infringed on the rights of a legitimate small business.... Anything run by John Cornetta is not a legitimate small business." you believe that? I mean even if all you wrote were true, which it is not, if it were all true you believe that businessmen and women with egos who sleight their staff and everyone else in the universe etc etc somehow because of that, most of which is not true (I say most because I am an SOB to deal with and proud of it) but even if 100% were true and then some, somehow Terrence at that point in your little pee brained world Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties vanish for that person? Wow, you should have been appointed Chief Justice while little G. W. Bush baby had the chance... As for your last lame charges and idiotic, unsubstantiated attack, I have paid taxes on more then 20 million dollars in sales in just the last 3 years my friend, employed over that time more than 1000 people, donated more than 50,000 to charities, was named Samaritan of the year for two of those years, donated 600 hours of my time to charity, purchased countless millions in goods and services from other Georgia businesses, and mad millions for business partners and associates and changed the laws in this state on about 5 occasions. What the heck have you ever contributed? The sad thing is just how misguided most are, how shallow thought and tolerance can be. You should read Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Country a book by Peter McWilliams in which he presents the history of legislation against victimless crimes as well as arguments for their legalization. Here is one of my favorite quotes "The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." George Washington Yep from George himself, man see you all at the 1.75 million dollar judgment day against Johns Creek. This case is far from over, the cockroach shall return Joey boy! John Cornetta report abuse
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written by Grammar Check, February 15, 2009
You badger others for spelling errors... Well, I'm assuming you use a spell checker before posting, but you sure do not use a grammar checker...
"...conversation or is (sic) the posters just children..." "...that businessmen and [business]women with egos..." "...and then some (sic), somehow Terrence..." "...your little pee brained world..." -> I'm assuming you meant "pea-brained", but again, you were using a spell checker, and pee is a valid word. Pot calling the kettle black? "...and mad (sic) millions for business..." Oh John, people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. report abuse
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written by Liquor patrol, February 27, 2009
I read in the paper today that you didn't get your liquor license and that the woman you sent to read a prepared statement tried to argue that beer should be considered a food and not liquor! Dude, you are a pud.
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 written by Freddie, April 01, 2009
Hey John!
Stay in the fight big fella! Keep your head up, and continue to aim HIGH.... Remember: "People don't fail because they aim too high and MISS, but because they aim too low, and HIT..."! Treat your enemies like you would a case of "La Gloria Cubana's".....SMOKE EM'!!!! P.S. Maduro's of course report abuse
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 written by EJ, April 05, 2009
It's about time Free speech wins one.
Thanks for keeping up the fight. Your fellow industry profesionals have watched, waited, and now rejoiced. You've done us all a small favor. report abuse
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 written by K, April 11, 2009
John, although I disagree with what happened to the Love Shack at John's Creek (and actually live there), I wish your hostility hadn't come out--it made you look as naive and immature as some of the others who commented. I liked the qoute, "If you live in a glass house, don't throw stones."
Sex toys, though, what's wrong with them, seriously, people? What's wrong with SEX? It's not the 20s...It's almost 2010! report abuse
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 written by Sylvia, August 24, 2009
I encourage you to continue to fight for your right to have this business. I think there are better location's in my opinion like near the movie theater near Medlock. Plenty of us ladies in Alpharetta enjoy your store hopefully you can get the full supply of those things I like
I don't want to drive so far to make the necessary purchases my adult life needs it is so bad for the air quality to waste gas  .
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 written by Sylvia, August 24, 2009
I can't believe I am just reading this. I had no idea it was such a big deal. This is hilarious I just wonder why spend so much money on closing a place down? If you just don't go guess what... no revenue so then ofcourse if the place thrives then some would see that others agree that they need a little Love in their life!
 cyberskin to the rescue. Thanks for my PINK friend and the awesome shoes.
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 written by Ms. Hollywood, October 13, 2009
Ok, i'll keep it short.
1. Spending so much of the taxpayers' money on closing a business down is a ridiculous waste and frankly makes me mad, i mean why not spend that money on the homeless children instead? 2. Bashing the adult industry out of personal opinions all of which are based on religion seems hypocritical to me, because i dont think God would appreciate all the hate you people put out in the atmosphere, seriously, hate and bitterness is not what God wants for us. 3. I have worked for John for 2 years, and all the alligations about him being a bad employer amongst all the other hateful things said is BS! He is the best employer, and one of the best friends i've ever had. So, HATERS - take your malice somewhere else 
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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.