MORGAN PARK — The sale of illegal cigarettes and the unlicensed operation of an adult toy store led to a pair of business closures in the 19th Ward.
Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) announced the shutdowns on Thursday in an email to constituents on the Far Southwest Side.
The email blast said the Marathon gas station that also operates as BZ Quick Mart at 10301 S. Kedzie Ave. in Mount Greenwood was visited by city inspectors on Jan. 16.
Authorities found a total of 21 violations, including failure to open a safe and possession of unstamped cigarettes. BZ Quick Mart agreed to close from Monday to Feb. 2 as a result of the charges, O'Shea said in his email.
The alderman's email also announced the closure of Wicked Blue Box at 11628 S. Western Ave. in Morgan Park. The adult toy store was operating without the proper business license and "public place of amusement" license, according to O'Shea.
He and the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and Chicago Police Department ordered the business to close on Wednesday, and delivered the same order to Randy Dreznes, the landlord of the storefront that was previously home of the Beverly Costume Shop.
Dreznes on Thursday said he doubted that his tenant, Simone Randall of Morgan Park, would reopen. But in a separate interview, Randall claimed the violations were merely due to a lapse in paperwork.
In October, Randall sat down with DNAinfo Chicago to discuss her business plan. A former phone sex operator, Randall began hosting Passion Parties in 2006. The Las Vegas-based company sells erotic gifts using the same home party model as Tupperware, Mary Kay and others.
She soon went out on her own, renovating an old bus to host rolling sales parties. All the purchases were neatly packaged in a blue box.
Opening a storefront was the next step for Randall, who debuted Wicked Blue Box in Morgan Park last March 28, replacing the costume shop that occupied the storefront for 40 years. Dreznes' late mother, Christine Dreznes, founded the costume shop after operating a seasonal store from the back of the family's music shop — Beverly Records.
"As for the costume business, the writing was on the wall," Randy Dreznes said in October, adding that pop-up Halloween stores selling inexpensive costumes doomed his rental business. He still operates a small, appointment-only costume shop from a small room at the back of the building.
Randall's business plan was much different. She said she specifically wanted to stay away from bombarding customers with a massive assortment of adult toys upon stepping through the door.
Unlike her competitors, including Lover's Lane and The Pleasure Chest, Wicked Blue Box kept all of its adult toys tucked away in private rooms. Customers entered the unassuming business and were encouraged to have candid conversations about what they hoped to achieve in the bedroom and in their relationship.
From there, Randall would direct them to several products in the private rooms. This approach was meant to replicate the candid, comfortable setting Randall found so successful while hosting home parties.
The unconventional layout also allowed Randall to host bachelorette parties, lead seminars, offer exotic body art and more at the unassuming storefront.
"I had a vision of what I wanted," Randall said.
According to reports, one late-night party last weekend drew the attention of a neighbor, who then contacted O'Shea's office.
Randall said she intentionally scheduled such events in the evening when the area is otherwise quiet and void of children. She also purposely kept her outdoor advertising subtle, and the hours of operation favored discretion as well, she said.
Wicked Blue Box was open from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday to Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays.
"It doesn't look like a sex store," Randall said.
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