Adult Retailer Elyse Metcalf Robbed at Knifepoint

CINCINNATI – Elyse Metcalf, owner of Adults Only, Ltd., was robbed in her store yesterday by what she believes was a drug addict looking for money with which to score.

"I'm in a fairly bad neighborhood," Metcalf told AVN, "and I was looking up a rug on the computer, and suddenly I looked up and a guy was behind the counter with a knife. What's interesting, I said, 'What do you want?' He said, "The money." And I gave him the money, and I said, 'Do you want the change too? It adds up.' And he said, 'Yeah.' Then he said, 'Now I'm gonna have to tie you up.'"

The thief then walked Metcalf from behind the counter into the display area, looking for something with which to immobilize her until he could make his getaway, and according to the victim, his first choice was a spreader.

"This is sort of comic relief," Metcalf said nervously. "He picks up this spreader, and I go, 'That'll never work.' I said, 'How about this Sex Kitten Naughty Eye Mask ?' He said, 'That'll be fine. Open it up. Take off your glasses. Put it on.'"

"So he pinned me up against a wall and said, 'Take any money out of your purse. If I find any money back here, I'm killing you'," Metcalf continued. "He said, 'You're gonna have to start counting to a hundred.' He got off with two computers, two laptops, one brand new, and all the money – about $500. He said, 'If there's any money back here, and I'm gonna root, I'm killing you.' So I counted to about 200 and called the police, but I look back on that, and thought, if I would have picked something out there to tie me up during the robbery, tying somebody up takes a little time, and he would have gotten frustrated and knifed me, so I think that eye mask was the way to go."

This is the second time Metcalf has been robbed at her store, which was previously called Elyse's Passion. The previous incident was in February of 2007, just before Metcalf was due to undergo surgery that kept her out of work for nearly nine months.

"Remember like before when I was robbed, I said 'I'm done'? Well, I'm back here today," she said. "But I'm kind of in a bad state of mind here today, and I'm just sort of winging it."

Metcalf has been trying to get out of retailing for several months now, hoping to get into something "more creative."

"I don't think I'm really cut out for sales," she said. "With my education, I'm looking for a position I can be creative with and use my real talents, rather than getting robbed at knifepoint behind a counter."

Metcalf is known in the industry for her courageous First Amendment battles. She received AVN's Reuben Sturman award in 2002.

Anyone with a bonafide job offer can contact her at Adults Only, Ltd., 1569 Chase Ave., Ste. 4, Cincinnati, OH 45223.