LOS ANGELES - Adult-industry professionals, locals and about 250 of Joel Tucker's closest friends turned out Friday night for the grand opening of the Stockroom.com /Syren retail store at 2809 1/2 Sunset Blvd.
Among the 300 or so people who were there throughout the night, it seemed that everywhere one turned, someone was talking about how they knew Tucker, who founded the company nearly 20 years ago.
Longtime friend Brian McGuire called Tucker a "revolutionary."
"He harnessed the power of the Internet; he harnessed the
whole idea of web commerce,"
McGuire told ANV Novelty Business. "I've known him since [the beginning], and
what impresses me is the constant growth of his company [and] how he treats his
employees. He treats people extremely well. He has major respect for everybody
that works for him."
The opening of Stockroom's retail store is a major step toward the mainstreaming of fetish-lifestyle products, considering the neighborhood in which it's located and that the store is flanked by an upscale interior-furnishings store and a yoga studio.
Inside the store filled with custom-made furnishings by Joey Sanchez, DJ Fever spun upbeat, crowd-friendly music, a nice contrast to the store's harsh BDSM gear and latex apparel designed by J Mysterioso. The photography of Steve Diet Goedde lined the wall along the staircase, which served as the catwalk for the fashion show that was put on by and featured Diamondback Annie and Courtney Cruz .
Stockroom staff members were putting the finishing touches on the store right up until after the first guests arrived for the 8:30 p.m. event.
"If you would have seen this place two days ago, [or] even two hours ago, you might have said, ‘They're never going to make it,'" Tucker said while giving the first guests a tour.
Behind the store and through the room where guests were treated to seemingly endless wine, hors d'oeuvres and chocolate, Tucker led the tour into a warehouse where production takes place.
"Thirty percent of the products Stockroom sells are created here," Tucker told the group. "I only sell quality products that I can stand behind. Our high-end products are reflected, of course, in the price of our merchandise, but you won't have a problem of it falling apart when you get home."
If a product doesn't meet a customer's expectations, he said, it can be returned for replacement or repair, except for "certain items no one in their right mind would take back, like an insertable toy."
An even larger warehouse hidden beneath the building is home to more than 3,500 products, including Kinklab, Syren and Stockroom merchandise and books from Daedalus Publishing.
Above the main floor are the corporate offices and more production space, where leather and latex goods are handmade by J Mysterioso, who began working for Tucker seven years ago. Between the latex-production space and offices is a luxury apartment that doubles as a photography studio that can be seen in the Stockroom catalog.
After the tour, the evening's festivities culminated with a fashion show displaying J Mysterioso's handiwork. Featuring burlesque vixen Diamondback Annie and fetish model Courtney Cruz, the show whipped the intimate crowd into a frenzy. The show featured 10 gorgeous women completely decked in latex and ended with the spectacle of Diamondback Annie, who dazzled the crowd in her Kiss-esque outfit. Going down, up and down the catwalk and climbing the handrail with her entire body, her performance climaxed as she donned a harness equipped with a tube that spewed dust, glitter and confetti toward the roaring crowd.
According to Amy, the cashier on hand Sunday afternoon, opening-weekend business was better than she expected, and it seems that the neighborhood is going to respond favorably to the new fetish store. Stockroom/Syren is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12:00 - 10:00 p.m.
To see a gallery of the opening night gala, click here .
To see a gallery of the Stockroom fashion show, click here .
Photographs courtesy of Tracy Hayden .
