City of Shoreline closes Café Aroma over unlicensed adult cabaret events
Monday, September 16, 2024
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| Owners posted this sign on the door of Café Aroma in Ridgecrest |
The city of Shoreline closed Café Aroma in Ridgecrest for operating without a valid business license and accused the cafe of hosting adult cabaret events without a license.
According to a search on the city’s website, the Café Aroma’s business license expired on 12/31/2023. The city requires businesses to have an Adult Cabaret license to host exhibitions and performances involving unclothed people or sexual activities.
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| A section of the Cease & Desist notice on the door of Café Aroma |
The cease and desist order posted on the door of the cafe said: “Pursuant to information provided to the City, business activities occurring at Café Aroma's location at 509 NE 165th Street necessitate both a General Business License, for the operation of an eating and drinking establishment (café), and a Regulatory Business License for the operation of an Adult Cabaret. Café Aroma currently does not maintain such licenses.”
The issue came to the attention of the city when a long-time Ridgecrest resident submitted a See-Click-Fix notice. In part, it said:
"I discovered that these events appear to be adult-oriented parties involving group sexual activities and BDSM practices.
"These events are particularly concerning given that they take place in what is typically used as the "kids' room" during the day, a space designed for children with toys and play areas."
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| Café Aroma in the Ridgecrest business district |
Tickets to the after-hours events were offered on Brown Paper Tickets with explicit details. That site has been taken down and neighbors have observed equipment being removed from the premises.
When the city investigated the issue they discovered that Café Aroma's Shoreline business license had expired at the end of 2023.
A second letter on the door is a Cease & Desist notice for operating without a food & drink license, as well as operating an unlicensed "cabaret".
Both notices state that the owners have 14 days to appeal the action.
Café Aroma is located at 509 NE 165th st Shoreline, WA 98155
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41 comments:
Short or grande?
I’ll start with this: Having a dedicated space for the extracurricular activities is something that should exist. The puritanical beliefs that try to sweep it all under the rug are not helpful.
That said, I’m not sure I want my kid in that play space. Nor would I want to play like that in a kids’ space.
***To be clear the cafe was shut down because their business license lapsed. The company they were renting out the space to was hosting events and the owners of the cafe were unaware the events had moved to a more physical nature. They were told they were discussion groups, support groups, and LGBTQ+ and kink community safe place groups.****
What is wrong with people? Time for a re-branding!
A little too much aroma of the wrong kind 🤮
So if they apply and get the required licenses then they will be able to re-open?
Yeah right that the owners didn't know! That is a lame excuse. They knew. They removed a darn HUMAN CAGE from the building over the weekend. They knew and were a part of it. They allowed it. The owners violated their lease agreement likely, they may have broken the law, they may have caused a huge liability issue for the land-owner, and now who wants to get coffee from this place after you read the details of the event invite. The community needs them gone and for new owners to make the cafe just good coffee! A cease and desist is not given lightly, clearly that was ample reasons beyond that their business license lapsed.
What's the basis of this assertion, Anonymous poster? How do we know that the owners weren't aware? How are you sure of it?
Well, I suppose the crew frequenting Café Orgasma could always meet after dark at Ridgecrest Park for something clandestine. There’s also the nearby Crest Theatre. Hint hint
At a recent after hours event, the organizers kindly asked patrons to "place a barrier between their genitals and any surfaces." I assume the surfaces in question are the overstuffed couches in back.
I don't care what consenting adults do in private, but foodservice by day/orgy by night is not gonna fly.
Pretty sure the common sanitary etiquette in those groups would make it much cleaner than if just kids used it or your average Café.
The "Cease and Desist" notice seems pretty clear and refers to a lack of adult cabaret license, rather than the lack of a business license. The tickets for these "events" sold on Brown Paper, and viewable on NextDoor are explicit in describing the events (eg: "be creative with the couches, tables chairs and spaces. Please place a barrier between your genitals and any surfaces"). It's hard to imagine that the owners were unaware of what was taking place. Or that they failed to notice the equipment that was being installed.
BlackOnyx is not the cafe.. it was a group using the cafe
Don’t do that. Do not make a statement as fact when you don’t have the necessary information. Everything being hosted was discussed and consented to, no one was deceived or in the dark about the after hours events. The events were not of a performative nature, they were not harming anyone, and they were kept discreet.
Why would this change whether or not you would want your kid in a play space? Does your kid go into different rooms in your house after you’ve been in them “after hours”? Do you, as an adult, move through spaces and then manage them to maintain safety for your kids during “kids hours”? Why would you assume this wasn’t being done in the cafe? A space is just a space, it can be used for different things at different times, and because of these actions a community staple is now closed.
After a long bike ride I stopped there and sat my sweaty ass on the couch and felt bad. Not anymore
I asked for whipped cream! Not whipped.
The employees knew exactly what was going on. Their online presence is easily found. It's easy to see these were the same people making me coffee.
The Brown Paper Ticket event description mentioned potentially disturbing scenes of bondage, pain, begging, and screaming of a sexual nature. Sex dungeon equipment was also mentioned and protection requirements regarding the shielding of genitalia as a safety precaution. This sounds like pretty heavy kink to me and not something I’d want to be occurring in my local cafe especially in a kids play area.
They for sure knew what was going on, they just did not care.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C1fFpRgSKMJ5xdT5qI595LMRZAdYo0fQ/view?usp=drivesdk
That space already exists, it’s called a hotel room.
This cafe was lackluster for years. Definitely in need of someone to overhaul it and made it a more neighborhood friendly spot.
I am hopeful the business makes it through this hard time. I attended the discussion groups (held privately after hours), and have frequented this coffee shop for years. It is a safe place run by welcoming people, which is largely why I felt at ease attending the discussion groups. I am deeply sad that the moral outrage of a few has so much sway and sought to destroy a supportive safe space for members of the lgbtq community and sex-positive/consent-positive folks.
They absolutely knew- they were THERE while it was happening.
DISGUSTING. The neighborhood shoul NEVER, EVER support this people. It was a great family friendly coffee shop before.
They need to be transparent about people having sex on the furniture that daytime cafe people sit on as well as the blood and fluid play that happens within this eating establishment. Hiding this information from clientele is dishonest and shady. Children climb all over the upholstered furniture and they need to give information on how well they clean everything. Laying down a towel is not enough, fluids soak through fabric easily and splatter far. Blood and semen has the potential to carry a variety of diseases and customers deserve to know. So gross.
How sad.
Leave it to the nanny laws of Seattle. Let the adults play! Live and let love. They should rename it Cafe Leather Aroma!
Except that the event listings say that the space will be selling food and drinks and to consider supporting the business owners. So it seems they did know it was happening.
In addition to be unlicensed to operate any business at all, whether that be food or “adult cabaret”.
It’s Shoreline, not Seattle.
You are making huge assumptions here. The lease was not violated with any of the actions taken. It sounds like the business license had expired, the communication is that this was unintentional and in error, and the cafe owners are currently working on fixing this. I can’t imagine that you truly think a community staple needs to be closed and a family needs to be removed from their source of income because you saw a cage and that makes you uncomfortable? These are your neighbors and they were not causing any harm.
You are suggesting that instead of using a private space that kept events from being witnessed by passersby they use a public space that would almost certainly be visible to families or be disruptive to neighbors? How is that better? What would be a more acceptable way to have events rather than use the exact space that was being used to host with signs that designated a “private event”, kept windows covered, and warned “do not disturb”?
Sounds kind of like you care what consenting adults do in private. If there’s a barrier protecting surfaces, then that keeps things about as clean as is possible. There are plenty of folks spilling or sneezing or sweating into those couches without a barrier during the day, and you wouldn’t think twice about it because that’s just normal life. But when adult parties get mentioned with more than adequate hygiene practices that’s suddenly a step too far?
And why would that be a problem if it was shielded from the public and not affecting daytime hours? These were private events, not events that were forced upon you, there is nothing happening that changes the nature of the cafe or that forces you to participate in something that clearly makes you uncomfortable.
How can an event which involves physical and mental abuse of individuals for the sexual gratification of others be construed as being a “safe space”?
Without your sex parties the neighbors can’t survive and they are really stressed about it:)
NO it wasn’t. It was the best coffee shop in neighborhood and turned into disaster after it was sold
No, it was great family friendly coffee shop
Where is the Ridgcrest Neighborhood Association? How come they don’t say or post anything about this issue? Is this caring for neighborhood? Hmmmm, SMH
I’m curious how many of the people mourning the closure of Cafe Aroma are from the neighborhood.
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