Progressive Pleasure Club Launches

LOS ANGELES — A new community made up of education-based sex shops has launched.

The community is called the Progressive Pleasure Club and was founded by Molly Adler and Matie Fricker, owners of Self Serve Toys in Albuquerque, N.M.

They said that they started the PPC to share support and resources with other shops like theirs, which help people make informed decisions about sexuality-related products.

“We wanted to get people talking about the unique work we do and the challenges and joys we encounter at Self Serve, and so the Progressive Pleasure Club was born," Adler said. "We believe everyone has a right to enjoy sexual pleasure in a smart and healthy way, and the PPC will educate customers about local, independent stores where they can feel safe shopping, and can trust the safety of the adult products they buy."

Self Serve is one of a dozen similar shops in cities from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, where trained sex educators offer a locally-owned, education-based, place to shop for intimate goods.

The founder said the Progressive Pleasure Club is a network of independent sex shops dedicated to helping people make informed decisions. Member shops are committed to the promotion of accurate and honest pleasure-based sexuality education, and to offering products that meet the highest standards of safety.

“We are thrilled that the PPC came into being,” said Gina Rourke, owner of Nomia in Portland, Maine. “Since 2004, Oh My in Northampton, Mass., and Nomia in Toronto have been collaborating and sharing information, as well as our purchasing power. To have the opportunity to join with a cadre of similarly committed entrepreneurs with shared values is nothing short of revolutionary. We are excited to see how this collective will transform lives in our communities as well as the industry at large.”

In the next year PPC members will join forces to educate the public about adult toy safety, promote local support for small business, and lobby adult toy manufacturers to eliminate the use of phthalates and toxins in manufacturing.

For more information about the Progressive Pleasure Club, email molly@selfservetoys.com.