WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—It’s been almost a year since Circus of Books officially closed its doors, but on Saturday night, the iconic venue opened up to welcome a new generation of shoppers to the reimagined retail space.
Chi Chi LaRue’s Circus, located at 8230 Santa Monica Boulevard, welcomed guests to an invite-only party to showcase the new design and layout of the store. Previously the home of cultural landmark Circus of Books, the new iteration has an open and bright adult boutique feel, with an art museum quality to it. As part of the change, Chi Chi LaRue’s gutted and opened up the space, brightened up the color scheme and improved lighting. The front of the store now sees bigger windows with funky displays of BDSM-themed mannequins.
Guests at the Jan. 11 event mingled amongst the displays of fun and quirky T-shirts, male sex dolls, anal toys of every variety and lubricants, thanks to event presenters from Boneyard Toys, XR Brands, System JO and Blush Novelties.
The new retail boutique is the second Chi Chi LaRue’s location. Chi Chi LaRue’s is the retail arm of Channel 1 Releasing.
In addition to drinks and like-minded shoppers, the grand opening featured a visit by photographer Jeremy Kost, who was on hand to sign copies of Seismic Dreams, his newest book. Influenced by Andy Warhol, Kost has documented gender, sexuality and nightlife for more than 15 years.
Additionally, artwork and pottery inspired by Tom of Finland and created by Jay Cruz and Frederick Vernon was on display in the museum-style-slash-store-within-a-store space in the back of the store.
The original Circus of Books opened in 1960 as Book Circus as an adult book store. Barry and Karen Mason took over the store in 1982—known then as Circus of Books—it was also known as a LGBT community hotspot where all sorts of treasures could be found: sex toys, lubricants, books, magazines, poppers and even cruise sex.
The Masons’ daughter, Rachel, created the Netflix documentary Circus of Books to chronicle the tale of the couple and their journey to becoming one to the largest distributors of LGBT porn in the nation, becoming defendants in a federal obscenity prosecution and creating a safe space during the early years of the AIDS crisis.
“I really didn’t even know that there were plans for the store to close,” Chi Chi LaRue told AVN during the grand opening celebration. “I know the Masons and their daughter didn’t want to let go of the store, but times just changed. I know a lot of that is covered in the documentary.”
Chi Chi LaRue’s is now open for business, seven days a week.
Photos by Michael Colbert
