Keegan: Urban Outfitters Can Sell Books, Shoppers Can 'Vote with Their Wallet'

Sexually-themed books for sale at doesn't rise to a level that gives the town of Dedham the ability to regulate what the store sells, Town Administrator William Keegan said Tuesday.

The store, which predominantly sells clothing for young adults, came under fire this week after a Dedham mother penned a letter to the store's corporate office asking for the ' or relocated to a different part of the store.

"It's a constitutional issue," Keegan said. "It doesn't rise the level of our local bylaw, because the bylaw [regulates stores if] 20 percent or more of the store is used to sell adult materials. This doesn't even rise to 1 percent. It is a very minimal."

Ann Hunnewell, the mother who reached out to Urban Outfitters last week, told Dedham Patch in an interview on Friday at the very least she wants to create awareness among other parents that shop at Legacy Place.

Keegan said while the town won't regulate the store "on that level," shoppers can "vote with their wallet."

"They won't patronize the business if they don't like it," Keegan said. 

Reaction from readers on Dedham Patch has been mixed, with some parents agreeing that books with such titles as "Get Laid" aren't suitable for their teenage child. 

"So, it's not illegal. That doesn't mean it's a great idea. There is too much inappropriate sexuality sold to kids and teens - not just at Urban Outfitters, but in the media as well," Barbara Wilson Arboleda wrote on Monday's story.