CENTURY CITY, Calif.—What keeps a legacy business successfully moving forward in the adult industry for five strong decades? It takes passion, a laser focus on growth, and a firm belief that the most important driver in the adult industry is freedom of speech. All of these have been the goal of the multifaceted business of Hustler, led by the late pioneer, Larry Flynt, and now headed by his talented and focused wife, Mrs. Liz Flynt.
When Larry died in 2021, Liz took the reins to continue Larry’s legacy and growth of the business. As Chairwoman, she proudly oversees the many divisions of the company, known as Flynt Management Group, or FMG, including the Hustler Hollywood stores, the casinos, the DVD brand and the original publishing empire, which still is an integral part of their portfolio today.
In 2023, Hustler purchased the Lovers chain of stores, adding 40 retail locations to their portfolio. Lovers stores, which had been founded in the 1980s by AVN Hall of Famer, the late Phyllis Heppenstall, presented an opportunity that Liz said would have made Larry proud.
"I simply could not be more excited about this transaction," Liz said at the time. "Purchasing Lovers is the kind of move that my husband Larry liked to make—and I'm so glad that we're both honoring his legacy and pushing our company forward for the future with this acquisition.”
At the time of the purchase, Liz acknowledged the synergies, geographical differences, and atmospheres between the Lovers and Hustler Hollywood stores. The addition of the stores has allowed them to further expand in the sexual wellness retail space, where much of the growth is occurring in the adult industry. The Lovers chain remains relatively independent with integration between the two brands happening over time.
With the purchase of the stores, Hustler now counts over 100 locations, including two boutique stores within their casinos in Gardena, near Los Angeles. At both casinos, the boutique is named “Shorty’s Stuff,” which was Larry’s nickname for his beloved wife. “He always called me that!” Liz proudly exclaimed.
Liz also recognizes the strength of the Hustler brand and how it resonates with customers throughout the world. Part of their continued growth is to bring this philosophy into their expanding line of sexual health and wellness products. The longstanding brand of Barely Legal strokers, named after their popular magazine, has always been a bestseller not only for the Hustler stores but for other brick-and-mortar stores. “We have big goals for expanding the Hustler brand across many products and lingerie, too,” Liz shared. “Of course, we will always continue to offer many different brands at different price points because we want to have something for everyone when they walk through the door.”
During the pandemic many of the Hustler stores pivoted and began offering curbside pickup for products. “We believe in innovation and are always ready to change. The stores did quite well though the pandemic. 2021-22 were phenomenal years and the theme for 2023-24 seems to be that people are back to work, so there was a slight shift in business, and we restructured the retail end a little bit.”
Liz mentioned one of the things that make her particularly proud is the success of the Hustler Hollywood stores. “I like to see women and couples come into our stores and feel comfortable enough to make their purchase. We have a demo table so people can touch and feel the products and that’s always been a hit with customers.”
She continued, “We also have a table with all the different lubes and cleaners, so they can choose what they like.”
The impact of women on the adult industry is not lost on Liz.
“We’ve always been an industry that’s been male-dominated but there is a shift for women in the business that has been going strong for years now," she explained. "Look at Susan Colvin at CalExotics. She has made such a huge impact in the women-focused sexual health and wellness field and I’m so glad to be part of it. Larry had honored women his whole life because he knew how powerful we are.”
Looking toward the future, Liz shared an area of growth that is just beginning to flourish. “I won’t be surprised to see more things coming up using AI technology. I’m sure something is going to pop up very soon.”
She continued, “I’m excited for the increasing results from our merge and right now, we’re firing on a lot of cylinders. We’re looking to expand the stores into Europe as we already have a presence in Amsterdam. There’s also South America and Mexico, and we would most likely start with just one store in those locations to build the brand. We opened doing ecommerce in Mexico City this year, so in a way, we’re already there.”
“We have so many things planned for our 50th anniversary, too," Liz added. "We’ll be launching a sneaker line this year, releasing a coffee table book on the brand, and there will soon be a documentary about the impact Larry had on society, free speech and First Amendment rights, and everything he fought for."
Mrs. Flynt concluded, “The younger generation doesn’t connect with Larry, and we want his message to be present in the stores and throughout the world.”
