AVN.COM RETAILING PROFILE - Secret Garden: A Dozen Roses for the Lady — Oh, and We'll Take That Vibrator, Too

From the greenhouse to the bedroom, this little mom and pop shop’s got you covered and then some. Founded in 1973, Secret Garden (AKA Flowers by Robert) has become Hamilton, N.J.’s ultimate adult shop. According to Robert Beihl, owner of the upscale store “[Secret Garden] is definitely not an adult bookstore.” He characterized the shop as more of a “premier adult boutique for adventurous couples.” Going on to say that they take great pride in “offering erotic material in a very boutique setting.”

The shop makes it’s home just off of Route 33 in what has now become somewhat of a landmark building, as Secret garden is the largest adult oriented shop in the state of New Jersey. Originally, classic wood paneling and glass, the building is now more contemporary in design; it has been repainted in hot pink and blue to catch the eyes of the passer-by from the highway.

Secret Garden may have started out as a simple little flower shop over three decades ago, but it has since grown into one of New Jersey’s most acclaimed niche boutiques. Catering to women and couples, the store’s initial transformation began when Robert’s wife, Marilyn Beihl decided she wanted to add a collection of lingerie to her husband's well established floral business in order to create a unique shopping experience for their customers for Valentines Day. That was over 28 years ago, and since, they have added not only lingerie in sizes from small to 4x, but also a wide variety of designer clothing, Brazilian jeans, club attire, shoes, jewelry, costumes, ostrich feathered handbags and Vegas style head dresses. Adult games and aphrodisiacs have also been included in the wide range of couples friendly products, as well as many body oils and creams. In addition to the numerous items listed above, Secret Garden carries instructional books, videos and an extensive array of adult novelty toy products that have been approved by the Institute of Advanced Human Sexuality.

Since their first appearance in the world of adult novelties, Robert, Marilyn and the rest of the dedicated staff at Secret Garden have strived to keep themselves well educated. In order to better serve their clientele, they regularly attend seminars in both Las Vegas and New York so they can bring all they have learnt back home to their customers. And from the sounds of booming business in the background as Robert was speaking, their quality and customer service is something that doesn’t go unnoticed.