Bohemian rhapsody endangered

The Omaha World-Herald reported yesterday that some of the locals don’t like the Old Market’s current direction.

Two lingerie and adult novelty stores have opened within two blocks and two months of each other in the Old Market, sparking debate about the area's identity:

Is it still a mix of eclectic businesses, or has it evolved entirely into a family-focused tourist attraction?

One neighboring business owner worries that his restaurant will become associated with a sex shop and complains that kids eating on the restaurant's outdoor patio have to look at tacky lingerie on a cart pulled out to the sidewalk.

This goes back to first-amendment arguments of what is considered obscene and what is protected under free speech. I won’t drag that into this post, but I will defend these lingerie and novelty shops as part of the local culture.

The Old Market is Omaha’s Greenwich Village. It doesn’t have the same gravitas as New York City’s famous neighborhood—but it’s the city’s cultural hotspot.

And Greenwich Village has had some sex shops. For instance the shop “Condomania,” which was a condom store in the village until it closed, was located in the famous neighborhood along with “Village Comics”—a comic book store. (info from http://www.nycgv.com)