New use for controversial property
Billboards for the now defunct Café Risque just off Interstate 95 outside Dunn were once controversial throughout the area, but now a new sign is drawing attention to the location. The new owners posted a sign on the old building last week which they hope will bring forth good feelings as they prepare to open a new business.
Ron Jernigan was at the old Café Risque building off Long Branch Road Tuesday putting up a “Jesus Saves” sign on a fence surrounding the building.
Mr. Jernigan was installing the signs for Johnny Jernigan, a family member, who will soon use the site to expand Interstate Auto and Truck which he owns. The company business is a short distance away from the Café Risque site.
The fate of the old building is not known, but the land will be used as a storage area for the Interstate Auto and Truck business.
The business is an auto repair company and also sells parts for both cars and trucks. The business also offers towing services.
According to a family member, the land was originally in the Jernigan family and they repurchased the land from the owners of Café Risque.
From a distance, the new sign conceals advertisements on the doors and windows of the building for adult novelties.
Those signs once drew the attention of thousands of drivers over time on the nearby interstate.
The Café Risque operated at the site for 17 years.
During that time, signs, that many called sexually suggestive, pushed a nearby Christian organization, Foundations, to protest the business in a fight that eventually ended up in court.
The sides eventually settled the case and the business was allowed to operate under strict restrictions before it eventually went out of business. The building has sat empty since the café closed.
