SEATTLE - The Seattle location of adult retail chain Babeland was broken into and vandalized early Friday.
Marketing Coordinator Mae Schultz told AVN Novelty Business that one or two people threw a rock through the display window about 6 a.m. Friday.
"Since they didn't actually step into the store, our alarms didn't go off," she explained. "They then stole all the toys in the display and left. When the Seattle store manager arrived that morning, the police had already been to the store and left a police report in the display."
The display in the front window of the store included a big heart-shaped box filled with vibrators wrapped in tissue paper, with red and pink dildos surrounding the box. A few Rabbit Habits were perched on a swing above the box.
According to a blog posted by Babeland Seattle employee Jennifer Baker, most of the sex toys in the window display were broken.
"The sex toys used in the window displays are old toys that have seen better days," Baker wrote. "We recycle them by putting silly hats on them or doll clothes or sunglasses. Unless the person who stole them has the most unusual dollhouse collection, they're not going to get much use out of them."
Baker also said she hopes the theft was motivated by greed, as opposed to being a hate crime.
"I can't believe that someone would feel so threatened by a sex-positive, female, queer space that they would need to physically assault it," she wrote in the blog. "I guess that's entirely possible, given that actual people who are female or queer are assaulted all the time."
In a blog update, Baker left advice for the vandals.
"I hope they remember to clean them well with plenty of warm, soapy water before using them," she stated. "You may wonder why I am offering advice to folks who took it upon themselves to damage and steal from a small, community-oriented, woman-owned business. I cannot help it; it's the sex educator in me."
Baker went on to discuss glass dildos, her Valentine's Day toy of choice.
"The Valentine's Day scrooges didn't bother coming into the store to take anything else, which is good," Schultz said, "but ‘boo' on them for stealing sex toys before Valentine's Day."
According to Schultz, the Seattle Police Department didn't have any leads at time of press.
