By Michael Pearson
With stores in Brooklyn, SoHo, New York's Lower East Side, and Seattle, not to mention a strong web presence at Babeland.com, adult retailer Babeland is serious about its slogan: "Sex toys for a passionate world." Co-founder Rachel Venning says the company won't be happy until it puts "a vibrator in every nightstand."
Venning is kidding, but only to a degree. She and company co-founder Claire Cavanah are very serious about their customers' enjoyment of sex. "We have a mission of promoting sexual vitality and a specific list of core values," Venning says. "Profitability is only one of the values, so we are always balancing the need for profitability with our goal of making the world a more sex-positive place."
Venning and Cavanah opened their first store in Seattle in 1983. Named "Toys in Babeland," it was launched as a woman-friendly alternative to the gritty adult stores that were dominating the business. "Both of us had been in sex-toy stores and felt alienated," Venning explains. "We wanted to create an environment where any woman would feel comfortable shopping."
Over the years, more stores opened. In June 2008, the newest Babeland opened its doors in Brooklyn.
According to Venning, Babeland has prospered on the strength of its customer service. "Customer service has always driven our success," she says. "We've created a boutique retail experience and been recognized with numerous ‘best of' awards, including Zagat Best Customer Service Awards."
Helping things along is the public's increasing acceptance of adult novelties. "Sex toys have become more mainstream and acceptable," Venning says. "The subject is discussed everywhere now. Television shows use sex toys, and celebrities talk about their favorite sex toys. People are more open and less ashamed of their desires."
Babeland's in-store success can be attributed to its knowledgeable sales staff, whose members are known as "sex educators." They are why Babeland customers feel free to ask the kinds of explicit questions they couldn't raise in Sears and subsequently buy products that will help them attain their personal sexual nirvanas. "Our staff of sex educators goes through an extensive in-house training program before they are let loose with customers," Venning says. "They are prepared for anything. They work with us because they are dedicated to Babeland's mission to provide information and encouragement to people who want to explore their sexuality."
Babeland's commitment to sex education goes beyond the sales floor: The company is out to promote a sex-positive world. "We host two to four monthly events and workshops in each location that are regularly attended by an average of 45 participants," Venning says. "Our community education and outreach program also includes private workshops, toy parties, and events at college campuses. We donate, on average, $40,000 (both cash and in-kind) to like-minded nonprofit organizations every year."
Success hasn't come easy for Babeland. In the company's early days, "selling ourselves as a legitimate business and getting a landlord to rent retail space to us were difficult initially," Venning says. "The situation has improved, but there's still a preconceived notion that adult businesses are all sleazy, unstable operations."
Times clearly have changed for Babeland. Having recently expanded to four successful stores, plus its website, this company is still on its way up. If Venning and Cavanah don't succeed in getting a vibrator in every nightstand, it won't be for lack of trying.
For Babeland locations and more information, visit Babeland.com.
