Owning and operating an adult video store requires careful planning and the right location. There are local zoning restrictions to be aware of that may dictate where the store can be located and its hours of operation.
Some local zoning laws take into consideration the inventory of an adult video store in addition to its location and hours of operation. According to "The Baltimore Sun," local adult shops in the city can only have a 20 percent inventory of "sexually explicit merchandise."
The Internet is the main competitor of traditional, walk-in adult stores. Because the Web offers both anonymity and cheap (sometimes free) access to adult videos, standard production companies and the stores that sell their products are having a harder time retaining business. In fact, DVD sales are down by 50 percent from 2009.