Earlier this month, Richard Bravelli, owner of the Bay Area based adult retail chain L'Amour, died from lymphoma. He had just celebrated his 68th birthday.
Originally an orchid grower from San Louis Obispo, Bravelli ended up going into retail, spending at least 20 years in adult, growing the L'Amour chain from one store to seven, with outlets throughout Northern California.
"He considered himself the best buyer. He would hold out for the best deals and he was very proud of that," Michelle Young, who worked for Bravelli for eleven years told AVN.com. "He was a really great guy who was always doing things for people, people others would have just said no to. He was like that - he really loved to help people out."
"He was a great guy who had an enthusiasm for life. He was a very opinionated, a man who loved to talk about his opinions," attested GVA's David Sturman, who worked with the man frequently.
Bravelli never married and leaves no survivors.
"Richard and I had a number of discussions about how he policed things and such. He gave quite a bit of money away to women's causes because he felt that some women were exploited. Here in Salinas, he gave to the women's crisis center. He also paid for a home for women alcoholics," said Dr. Norman Murphy , who was a friend of Bravelli's, and arranged his funeral.
Murphy suggests that in lieu of flowers, Bravelli would appreciate a donation to:
The Women Crisis Center
P.O. Box 1805
Salinas, CA 930902
(831) 757-1002
