AVN.COM RETAILING PROFILE 200608 - DK Wilds: Putting the 'Beaver' in Beaverton

Newcomers to this Portland suburb might not know that the lavender-hued building on Henry Street, surrounded by flower beds, with colorful indoor murals of Miami’s South Beach, houses what its owners call “the Northwest’s finest adult experience.”

Beaverton natives, however, are familiar with DK Wilds, an upscale erotic boutique that has become a respected part of the community. Patronized not just by single men but by eager women and couples, it doesn’t flaunt its nature. Indeed, the store is so discreet that no nude photos or explicit images are allowed to greet customers from its walls.

“You don’t walk in and think, Wow — porn store!” said Shauna Coverdale, who owns the place with her husband DK (David Kevin). “You walk in and see the mural and the flower arrangements, and you have the choice of what you would like to look at. Customers that are not comfortable going into adult stores are comfortable in our store.”

It was 11 years ago that DK set up shop in Beaverton, a blue-collar town that, said Shana, “keeps getting trendier by the minute. The city tried to give him all kinds of hassles, but eventually he came out on top.”

Portland itself is loaded with sex shops of the usual no-frills variety. For Beaverton, the Coverdales wanted something different — open and roomy, with a touch of class.

To ease in new customers, especially women and couples, they laid out the store in three distinct parts. The first is stocked with “soft and inviting” products — massage oils, lingerie, lotions. The curious can then proceed to the second part, devoted to hardcore magazines and movies for rent or sale. “This is the section most men find themselves drawn to,” Coverdale said, “but a few adventurous women and couples as well.”

The final part is a 24-room video arcade with the option of 100 channels; any movie in the store can be previewed by customers. To gain access to it, customers must walk all the way to the back of the store and around a partitioned entrance. “Unless you are looking for the area,” Coverdale said, “it isn’t something you will stumble into.”

Recently the Coverdales spent a year renovating the store to make it even more woman-friendly. They doubled the area of its couples-oriented front end and softened the lighting to give it more of a boutique feel.

As Shauna explained, “I think that most markets are now realizing the buying power of women and are finally beginning to cater to it.”

The renovated look was inaugurated last February with a new event, Ladies Night. Held the second Tuesday of every month, it draws a loyal following of women, most of whom show up only on that occasion. No men are allowed — neither employees nor customers — and guests are greeted by a young, good-looking doorman. Refreshments, including champagne from a local winery, are served.

“It’s a party,” Shauna laughed, “why not!”

“The one in March,” DK added, “drew 100 screaming women in snowy, inclement weather.”

The store’s customer base, Coverdale said, is remarkably broad, from young, hip singles to “couples that have been married for 20-plus years and want to add some spice. I think we have a really diverse base as far as age, race and sexual orientation.”

Shauna acquired her retailing skills as a clothing and cosmetics manager at Nordstrom’s. “I learned that customer service is first, the rest is just details,” she said. “If you take sex toys and put them in a location that is beautiful and comfortable, with a staff that is friendly and knowledgeable, they don’t seem ‘wrong’ or ‘scary.’”

The store, open 24 hours a day, has a staff of 10.

The Coverdales have an interesting work-share arrangement: She manages the business, and he stays home and cares for their two sons. She said her Nordstrom’s experience taught her that the store needed a “woman’s touch,” and that the staff had to be trained to sell to women. “Having two kids is a full-time job in itself, and when I am working, DK hangs out with the boys,” she said.

The couple is quite media-friendly, and Shauna is a frequent guest on local TV talk shows. DK calls their emporium “your prototype store of the future. It’s so nice we are the only adult anything allowed to run advertising in the local newspapers.”

DK Wilds is located at 13355 SW Henry Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. 503.643.6645. Fax: 503.671-9920. Or visit dkwilds.com.