Resident Irked by Music from 'All Gussied Up'

The music that emanates from 1940s-inspired “All Gussied Up On Main” is receiving mixed reviews. 

Some residents who live in the business district find the music too loud and distracting, while borough officials believe Kelly Pettis-Brush's business is a breath of fresh air.

“I can hear her music all throughout my house and through the kitchen,” complained Sheria Wells during Nazareth Borough Council’s meeting Monday night. “I understand that [Pettis-Brush] has a right to play music, but it should be at a peaceful level. Patrons should be able to hear it when walking in front of the store, not from down the street and in people’s homes.”

Pettis-Brush, however, says music in and around a business is basic “Marketing 101.”

“Music is a necessity when it comes to a hustling, bustling downtown area,” Pettis-Brush said in an e-mail to Patch.

Pettis-Brush opened “All Gussied Up” in June 2012. The 1940s-inspired store, which can be found at 139 S. Main St., offers male and female customers spray tanning, airbrush makeup application, permanent makeup and teeth whitening, and a boutique.

But the noise complaints started rolling in shortly after the store’s grand opening.

Pettis-Brush says she was “harassed” two weeks ago by the wife of a Nazareth Borough Council member. She did not name the councilman or his wife, but added that the woman entered her store and yelled at her customers.

“People often ask why Nazareth doesn't have more businesses like mine and I hate to say it, but it is the people who live in the business district that chase the business owners away,” Pettis-Brush said. “The people of Nazareth should be happy and proud to have a store like mine in our town, but instead they complain about the classy music I have playing 22 hours a week.”

Wells, who lives on S. Main Street, said she has a disability and can’t focus “in any part of [her] house.”

“It puts me behind in my schoolwork, having to study in the middle of the night,” she said.

The low-down on Nazareth's noise ordinance:

• Any event sanctioned by the borough will not face penalties associated with noise complaints.
• If any animal or bird (owned by an individual) makes any continuous or persistent noise for a period of 15 minutes or more, or makes such noise intermittently for a period of 30 minutes or more, the owner of the animal can be fined.
• Power equipment, yelling, shouting, whistling, horns and signaling devices (except in an emergency), are prohibited at nighttime – 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. – if they cause a noise disturbance.
• Loudspeakers and sound amplifiers are now included in the new ordinance. They were not in the previous version.

Mayor Fred Daugherty Jr. on Monday night said he enjoys the music, but did admit the sound bounces off nearby buildings and down the street. Council President Dan Chiavaroli said he can't help but do a little dance when he walks by or visits Nazareth Borough Hall.

But, the officials noted, they don't live next to "All Gussied Up."

Police Chief Thomas Trachta said the situation is a zoning issue, and any complaints should be provided to the borough's code enforcement officer, who has access to a decibel meter.

"[The code enforcement officer is] the only one with a meter," Trachta explained. "The police can only go in with a common sense approach and it would be our ears saying this is unreasonable."

Pettis-Brush, who Trachta said could be cited for disorderly conduct, added: "I feel like we are living our own true 'Footloose' -- pretty soon music and dancing will be illegal in Nazareth."

Editor's Note: This article has been changed to fix an error in the spelling of "Pettis-Brush."