Page 18 - AVN Intimate Fall 2017

FEATURE
By Anka Radakovich
Sex-Ed Sells
Retailers weigh in on the benefits of in-store events
like Ducky Doolittle teach peeps how to have
how that works, but people really liked it. We
different kinds of orgasms.)
get a lot of couples,” he said. “These events
And second, said Halter, throwing in-store
make great date nights.”
parties, such as the Girls Night Out events,
Kara McGee, who owns an Adam & Eve
brings in a “ring at the register.”
store in Boise, Idaho, said that she hopes the
“We’ll get about 100 girls who are excited
knowledge women learn from the classes at
to be in a safe space where they can explore
her store will empower them. The philosophy
their own sexual pleasure—with our staff
of her store is a “safe, friendly environment
demonstrating how to use everything. We do
for men, women and couples who are looking
the Girls Night Out event about twice a year,
to venture away from the more mainstream
and by doing them less frequently, we build up
norms of sexuality and experiment with the
anticipation for the event.”
more erotic and growing interest in taboo sex
practices.” Like the other Adam & Eve stores,
Lessons From
she notes that the BDSM classes draw the most
Adam & Eve
interest. “Sometimes the couples coming to our
events are looking for something different, but
Bob Strothers, who owns three Adam & Eve
not necessarily someone different,” she says.
stores around Houston, Texas, once tried
And she has two words for anyone who isn’t
throwing a “Texas Show” event at his store,
sure who to invite to an event at their store:
Do sex classes and store events increase business in
where he invited a bunch of porn stars—34
“Nina Hartley.”
brick-and-mortar stores? We asked stores
in all, including Evan Stone, Ron Jeremy
across America what type of events create more
and Katie Morgan. But it grew to such huge
throbbing sales.
proportions that he had to move it to the local
Generating Excitement
Hilton hotel. When the Hilton canceled the
show in favor of a charity event, he moved it to
the local Holiday Inn. By the time the second
With four stores near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
hotel canceled, it had grown to 5,000 attendees.
the chain of Excitement Adult Superstores holds
(“It was like a mini AVN show,” he said.)
sex classes and “Girls Only” nights. Their “Intro
The store event ended up at a local strip
to BDSM Nights is advertised with this teaser:
club. The final verdict? “If you want to draw
“Come learn what makes bondage, submission,
people into your store, invite porn stars,”
sadism and masochism so damn sexy and
Strothers said. “And make it fun.”
thrilling!”
Events at his stores have included signings
“People especially like spinning the prize
with Alexis Ford and Bree Olson, an Erotic
wheel, said Excitement Director of Marketing
Ball, Garden of Eden and Mardi Gras parties,
Katy Halter. “We give away store dollars, but
a Naughty XXXmas party, a Harley-Davidson
they end up buying a more high-end toy.”
anniversary party, a Ladies Night and a
During a recent drive through this part of
Couples Night Out. The parties have a DJ and
Pennsylvania—filled with conservative Christian
a “training table” to show customers how to
churches with unintentionally adult signs like
use the toys. The store always provides free
JESUS SAYS GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES, I
hors d’oeuvres and drinks, he said, but after
wondered how sales were going in the Bible Belt.
the Harley party he decided on a two-drink
“We get all the closet kinksters,” Halter reported.
maximum. “After some bikers threw down beer
I also noticed tons of Amish and Mennonites
after beer, I was horrified to see them ride off
in the area and wondered if the store ever attracts
drunk on their motorcycles.”
them. “No,” she said, “But we did get a bunch
“The couples parties are always a big hit,” he
of women wearing burkas once. Everyone is
said. “At those, people play party games like
welcome!”
pass the double headed dildo between your
The store prides itself on establishing a non-
legs.” (A great party ice-breaker!)
judgmental atmosphere. “The store as well as
“As long as people are having fun,” he said,
the events open people up and make them feel
“I feel like I’m not selling products, I’m selling
comfortable,” said assistant store manager Jimmy
satisfaction. We want people to walk out of the
McFadden. “We have regular customers who
store smiling.”
brings friends into our events. Plus, the three-
Greg Peters, who owns two Adam & Eve
hour window brings more people in.”
stores in Reno, Nevada, shared his experiences
What the store learned from having these
as well. “We do classes on everything from
events, Halter said, is that they serve two
Intro to Anal to Sex Toys 101 to our Spank
purposes. First, the sex classes establish a
Session class with a local dominatrix, our most
reputation for the stores. (Like their “Oooh La
popular one. We also did a Tantric Love class
La back to school” classes, where sex educators
that did really well and a ‘whole body orgasm’
Reiki-like massage class. I wasn’t really sure
The PleasureEd
Principle
The Pleasure Chest—with stores in Los
Angeles, Chicago and New York City—has
packed in crowds for its sex classes since
2008, and its success is a lesson to stores
everywhere. “Our goal was to differentiate
from other similar programs by offering
entirely free, pleasure-based sex ed to makes
the classes accessible to everyone,” said Sarah
Tomchesson, head of business operations.
An average “PleasureEd” class draws about
30 people, she says. “But we regularly present
to a standing-room-only audience in Los
Angeles and New York with anywhere from
fifty to eighty people.
And what is their number-one class?
“Our blowjob classes are our crowd
pleasers,” Tomchesson said. “A hundred
attendees show up for a blowjob class in our
L.A. store. Other popular classes include
O-M-G Spot and Butt Sex Basics.”
These days comedy rules, so the Pleasure
Chest tried a comedy show at the L.A. store.
Then one at the New York Store. And another.
“Performance Anxiety, our monthly comedy
show in West Hollywood, Awkward Sex and
the City and Party of Two in New York have
been hugely successful for us,” Tomchesson
said. There is an audience for the shows that
might not otherwise come to us. Since the
program is free, the sales from the event are
what sustain the program. Our educators
consistently bring in sales in their classes and
our event programming across the board is
a big draw for new customers. The comedy
events, in particular, help us with one of our
biggest retail challenges in the digital age—
getting people in the door.”
18 | INTIMATE | FALL 2017