'Fixture in gay community' closes Downtown

A colorful piece of Cincinnati's Downtown history died a week ago when no one was looking.

Unless, that is, you happened to find yourself walking down the 900 block of Race Street.

All that was left of the Pink Pyramid, a gay bookstore in business for 21 years at 907 Race St., last week was a big ol' spray-painted sign: "The City of Cincinnati closed us down!" There are fliers, too, strewn inside the window accusing Cincinnati police of harassment and unfairly targeting the business.

Not so, says Cincinnati police's vice commander Capt. Paul Neudigate and a legion of other city leaders. The action and this column, it appears, even prompted a Friday afternoon memo from City Manager Harry Black to Mayor John Cranley and city council members about the closure.

"There was no discriminatory action," Neudigate said. "What we did was based on citizen complaints.''

You won't convince George Vanover, who owned the business for nearly 25 years with his partner, Gary Allgeier, of that.

Ever.

"They pushed us out because we are a gay business,'' Vanover says. "Some people have told us they think it's because of the streetcar and because of development. But I don't think that. I think they just wanted us gone.

"This was a concerted effort to get rid of us,'' he continues. "And they won. They got rid of us."

The beginning of the end for the Pink Pyramid came back in 2013 when cops made a few undercover visits to the store. Vanover calls what Allgeier sold them "nail polish remover."

Problem was, the guys with the test tubes and microscopes in the crime lab call what he was selling isobutyl nitrite. Users call it "poppers" or "rush," an inhalant used to get a short burst of euphoria and to increase sexual pleasure. The state of Ohio calls it illegal when the chemical is packaged and sold as an inhalant, says Allgeier's lawyer, Bill Gallagher.

There were criminal charges and plea agreements, and Allgeier agreed to stop selling it. Neudigate says he even stopped by in person to chat with the owners and explain the law. Instead, the owners asked him to leave. Vanover says he did that because they felt harassed.

Undercover cops busted Allgeier again in 2014, selling poppers. This time, they also got a search warrant and found 634 bottles of the inhalant at the store. They found others, mostly used, during a separate search at Allgeier's home. The cops said he knew exactly what he was selling.

There were more criminal charges. But this time, the cops asked the city's law department to begin additional court proceedings to declare the bookstore a nuisance and to shut it down.

City lawyers did just that. A judge agreed. And the end of the Pink Pyramid – at least at 907 Race St. – had a date: Feb. 1, 2016.

It's all black-and-white in legal speak:

"This is an unfortunate case where Mr. Allgeier did not abide by his promise to the City to stop selling harmful intoxicants,'' City Solicitor Paula Boggs Muething said in an email to The Enquirer. "If he had, he would still be in business today."

As Cincinnati city "council's only gay member," Chris Seelbach felt the need to weigh in, too:

"They've been a fixture in the gay community. A lot of people are upset to see it go,'' he said. "But you have to follow the law and not disobey it. That is the number one issue here. They'd still be open today if they had stopped selling illegal products."

Vanover scoffs, calling the city not nearly as progressive as it puts on.

The pair tried unsuccessfully to relocate to Sharonville and Amelia. It was a no-go in both communities.

So it's back to Cincinnati, it appears. Book racks, smoking equipment, hookahs and various other items have shown up in a storefront in the 3100 block of Harrison Avenue in Westwood. There are not signs denoting it as the Pink Pyramid's new digs. However, a similar gnome like one featured on its Facebook page, sits in the the storefront window. There's several rainbow items strewn amid cleaning items, boxes, CDs and a cash register.

Vanover did not return messages Saturday seeking comment, after saying he and his partner were closing the Pyramid for good and selling the inventory on Craigslist, going to start looking for employment and maybe even move out of town.

Hmmmm.

Right.

Sure thing, Vanover.

That's me, raising my left eyebrow. What you say and what I see are two different things.

Even so, it appears Vanover and his partner won't violate the court order by re-opening (if that is their intention). The order only deemed a nuisance the first floor at 907 Race St. It was to remain padlocked for one year.

Other locations in the city, it seems, are fair game.

But boys, a little advice if I might:

You may want to keep the poppers out of the store.

Read City Manager Harry Black's Friday memo:

Chris Graves is the Enquirer's Metro columnist. You can contact her at cgraves@enquirer.com.