Unlike many of her colleagues, who stumbled upon fulfilling careers in pleasure product sales or marketing, Hustler Hollywood’s Signe Jarvis began her journey hoping to become a sexuality professional. Today, Jarvis is the sole buyer for HustlerHollywood.com, among a plethora of other sales, communications and trend-watching duties she handles daily for the entire Hustler chain of stores.
“My story with Hustler Hollywood morphed from the very beginning,” says Jarvis, “working my way through store positions and eventually to buying personal care items and DVDs for the entire chain and relocating to Los Angeles after discovering my love for the industry.”
Buying is truly my favorite role I’ve held with the company
But at this very moment, Jarvis highlights, she is right where she belongs.
“Buying is truly my favorite role I’ve held with the company,” she muses.
During her college years, Jarvis was just another young adult in need of a few bucks to line her pockets. She figured she might as well take a retail job that mirrored the professional path she intended to walk.
“I had always been interested in the sexual health realm, wanting to be a sex educator,” recalls Jarvis. “I had decided on getting a BA in psychology with a minor in women’s studies to try and achieve this goal.
“I applied at the Tacoma Hustler Hollywood store and was hired as a part-time sales associate. I thought it would just be a summer job, a way to have cash on hand like any other broke college student,” she explains.
What happened next would lay the groundwork for Jarvis’ entire foreseeable future. Quickly working her way up to inventory control manager, she stuck with Team Hustler throughout various job changes, eventually relocating from her original Tacoma, Washington store.
“I transitioned to assistant manager at the store as we restructured to centralize our store ordering through our corporate team about seven years ago, and was asked to relocate to Los Angeles to help be part of that transition in the allocation department,” Jarvis recounts. “This required placing product reorders for, at the time, about 15 locations.
“I expressed interest in buying and quickly picked up DVD purchasing, as I was familiar with the product and the DVD customer through my seven years at the store,” Jarvis continues. “Eventually, I transitioned from allocations to buyer for personal care items and DVDs, and about four years ago, I took on the role of buyer for our website, Hustler-Hollywood.com.”
Jarvis’ current role requires constant communication with anywhere from 75 to 100 vendors, and having a keen eye for purchasing the newest, most trendsetting products. As the sole e-tail buyer, she tackles SEO content and moderates the website, analyzes customers’ product searches and handles website merchandising
In addition to keeping Hustler's website well-stocked with the best in modern toys, Jarvis also purchases adult DVDs for the entire chain. She even stays in touch with longtime store customers from the Tacoma location as she seeks out the latest adult content releases.
“We provide top-quality product and offer a little something for everyone, including niche products which may not be a main focus of other online adult retailers,” says Jarvis.
Jarvis notes that she is always on the hunt for new and unique items, to maintain the elevated assortment that exemplifies Hustler stores’ aim: to “erase the shame” associated with pleasure products.
“Our goal has always been to take the stigma out of sex and to help people with intimacy and relationships,” she explains of Hustler's overarching mission. “Our target audience is everyone over 18 who is sexually curious. From sexy singles to same-sex couples to all sex-positive lifestyle enthusiasts, we offer a welcoming, judgment-free atmosphere that celebrates love and sexually curious exploration.”
Even in a chain totaling 42 stores across the U.S., Jarvis reveals, each location team takes their unique demographic into account when purchasing product and creating a comfortable environment.
“When we open each store, our team has already identified if there is a particular niche clientele for that location, and we will tailor our offerings based on the type of community we enter,” says Jarvis. “We have always served a very diverse customer base since our inception in 1998, and we carry a large variety of products to ensure that there is something for everyone who enters one of our stores or shops online with us.”
Similarly, she ensures that all Hustler stores are focused on providing sex education and accurate advice, regardless of who walks in the door.
“As education is one of our top priorities, we ensure that our employees receive monthly training from leading experts so that they can share that information with our customers, and we also provide free workshops on a wide range of topics throughout the year,” notes Jarvis.
Reflecting on over a decade in adult sales, Jarvis says she aims to inspire other young women to climb the corporate ladder in an industry that she believes will continue to provide growth for women like herself.
“I aim to be involved with the business at the highest level, reaching and smashing that ‘glass ceiling’ and being looked up to as a strong and trusted woman in the adult retail space and for Hustler Hollywood as a company,” says Jarvis. “And to show employees in our company and throughout the industry that they can make it anywhere if they have the want and drive to do so.”
As Hustler accelerates the opening of new boutiques in the U.S., Jarvis will continue to keep pace by doing exactly what she does best: staying on top of the trends, minute by minute.
“I am always focused on the ‘next big thing’ with Hustler Hollywood,” Jarvis concludes, reflecting on what the future may hold for her. “My goal is personal and professional growth, keeping us a leader in the sexual health and wellness space — in whatever direction that takes me.”
Jarvis is confident that Hustler will uphold the personal and professional standards that have helped her to build her own career into such a source of pride. For the industry as a whole, she believes, our shared evolution lies in a few key pillars that all adult businesses would do well to follow.
“I hope we see continued elevation of standards and materials,” says Jarvis in closing, “and realize the constant growth of the online retail area as well. Assets provided by manufacturers are what will help sell products in the online space, where customers do not have a trained wellness expert to talk to them directly about the product and determine their individual needs.
“I hope to see our sexual health and wellness space consider areas of inclusivity and quality as a continuing mission statement, not a product of what is trending at the time.”
