Indeed, it’s a long way from Rodeo Drive, but Hartford has channeled the spirit of that famed boulevard of opulence — though in a much racier vein of retailing — through the young chain of Penthouse Boutiques, whose second location opened there in October. (The first location launched in 2003 in nearby Milford.)
At the forefront of a new breed of adult outlets with swanky decors and inviting atmospheres, such as Hustler Hollywood and Charlotte, North Carolina’s The Reddoor, Penthouse Boutique is raising the bar not only by capitalizing on the name of one of the most upper-crust men’s magazines in the world, but by shooting for a level of extravagance on par with Tiffany’s or Saks.
Owned by Horizon Media Group, the two Penthouse Boutiques are over 10,000 square feet in size and feature such lavish touches as chandeliers and marble floors.
According to Stuart Wall of Smash Pictures (a subsidiary of Horizon Media Group), the stores’ upscale design and bright lighting do much more than just appeal to women; they make all customers feel more comfortable, regardless of their sex, age or shopping habits.
“People shop there at 2, 3 in the morning,” Wall told AVN, “feeling in a safe and comfortable environment.”
Added Horizon Controller Steve Leonard, “Everyone loves the store. They say it’s the nicest adult store they’ve ever seen. We have people saying, ‘God, I could take my mother or my grandmother there.’”
Stock market pundit Robert Folsom echoed this assessment in a September 2004 essay for BearMarketCentral.com, saying, “Unlike the dingy, small, broken-down buildings that house other local pornography shops, the Penthouse Boutique is large, audacious and well lit.”
Folsom went on to quote a New York Times article that touched on the store, profiling it as such: “Offering a ladies’ night and marketing itself as a fun place for happy couples to shop, the store is part of a trend that has been spreading in suburbs from Louisville to Los Angeles in an attempt to take the industry out of the shadows and make it mainstream.”
Folsom’s essay was using the Penthouse Boutique as an example of the mainstreaming of porn, which it linked to the bear market in stocks that began in 2000. But negative or positive the cause of the trend, there’s no denying that the result is nothing but a boon to the industry. And stores that approach the marketplace like this one has are going way beyond taking the industry “out of the shadows.”
For its grand opening gala, the second Penthouse Boutique offered hors d’oeuvres, champagne and a formal waitstaff. And the store offers much more than porn movies and sex toys. Touting itself as an “adult department store,” it’s organized into chic sections, featuring products as wide-ranging as shoes, clothes, costumes, oils, smoking accessories and so on. (Not that it’s all high-class stuff, mind you; you can also find inflatable sheep there.)
The question is, does this luxurious presentation translate to luxurious prices? And the answer, customers will be delighted to learn, is no. Says a press release, the prices are more reasonable than at most adult stores, and the selection, naturally, greater, with all the major movie studios and toy companies plentifully represented.
The Penthouse Boutiques have so far only been located in Connecticut, as that’s where Horizon Media Group is based. But once the chain’s success has been tested there — and all signs point to it’s being a smash — the plans are to open a third store in California. So look out Rodeo Drive … inflatable sheep may be closer to hitting than you think.
For more information on the Penthouse Boutique, call 860.724.5589.
