Small business group calls on Andy Sanborn to lead constituent tour of property selling pipes and porn
A group of New Hampshire residents advocating for independent, small businesses and a strong local economy is calling on state Sen. Andy Sanborn (R-Bedford) to lead a constituent tour of Phat Stuff, the head shop and porn store in the Keene building he owns.
In an open letter to Sanborn, Strong Local Economies NH spokesperson Sam Blair wrote, “The fact that this property on Main Street in family-friendly downtown Keene is occupied by a ‘head shop’ and an X-rated, adult-only sex shop raises questions for concerned mothers and fathers across the region. … It would be good to hear, in your own words,” Blair explained, “how you square your commitment to family values with making money off a sex shop in the heart of family-friendly downtown Keene.”
Sanborn has been renting the property to Phat Stuff owner Panos Eliopoulos since 2011 when Eliopoulos moved the business from a smaller space in Winchester. From the beginning, many Keene residents expressed concerns about the store, which sells hookah pipes and rolling papers alongside x-rated videos and sex toys. The shop was back in the news recently when federal drug enforcement agents raided it in search of synthetic marijuana and illegal drug paraphernalia.
Sanborn says he is "personally uncomfortable” with the store. He told the Keene Sentinel that the owner originally mislead him about the nature of the business. The Bedford Republican said he thought Phat Stuff was going to be a glass-blowing shop, which would be “really cool … I thought, ‘that’s what Keene is all about.’ ”
Strong Economies chair Molly Cowan doesn’t buy it. She points out that Phat Stuff had been around since 2002 just a few miles away in Winchester. “A quick look at its Facebook page or a simple Google search would have made quite clear what kind of business it was,” she said. “Is Sen. Sanborn really saying he didn’t do even this most basic due diligence before he tied the knot? That doesn’t exactly recommend him for public service.”
Strong Local Economies NH is a new political action committee dedicated to holding politicians accountable who claim to represent small business but vote against local economic interests. The group decided to oppose Sanborn’s re-election bid after he ranked last in their Local Economy Report Card, which rated the senators on their support for local, independent small businesses. Strong Economies recently launched All About Andy, a website highlighting Sanborn’s voting record and business dealings.