First legal sex toy shop shuts down in Goa
Panaji: First legal sex toy and wellness products shop Kama Gizmos has been shut down by the panchayat a month after it’s launch on Valentine’s Day. The shop, located in a marketplace in Calangute, a popular tourist destination, was shut down by the panchayat citing lack of a trade license. The sarpanch objected to “such activities”.
The Panchayat took action against the sex toy store on Wednesday. Its signage was removed. The Panchayat said that the shop would not be allowed to run without the trade license, however, Kama Gizmos’ partner Prawin Ganeshan said that the local authorities have deeper issues.
“We had received oral complaints from many people about the shop and they did not have a trade license. So we have shut it down,” Calangute Sarpanch Dinesh Simepuruskar told the Indian Express.
The store was created after two competing sex product retailers – Kamakart and Gizomoswala – came together for a partnership.
“They were selling sex-related things and we had received complaints from both men and women about it. People had also posted on social media and WhatsApp about the shop. Since it was in a gully everyone had not seen it before. We don’t want to allow such activities,” the Sarpanch said.
“Our trade license application is under process but we were advised by the people working with the Panchayat that we can open the store and the license would be issued in a few days. On Saturday (March 13), the Panchayat told us not to open the shop for some days so we kept it closed. We were under a lot of pressure from the local authority. Since we are outsiders and not from Goa, we are an easy target,” Ganeshan, CEO of KamaKart, said.
At the time of writing this article, Kama Gizmos’ Instagram account was unavailable and its official website displays ‘Account Suspended’.
Ganeshan added, “We display no nudity in the store and there is no obscenity.” The store looks more like a medical store.
He said, “We have encountered no problems in any other city that we have shops in and we will not back down. We are selling completely legal products that are for pleasure and protection. We will restart in Goa within another month. We have conceptualised a sexual wellness store with doctor consultation.”
He further said that the store had attracted customers including men and women.