Walk into any Adam & Eve store in the Mountain West region of the U.S. and you’ve likely stumbled into a TAF Distributing outfit. Owned by industry veteran Kraig McGee Jr. and staffed by his closest family members, McGee’s 35 TAF-operated stores span 13 states, from woodsy Idaho to scenic Utah and well beyond.
Many TAF stores operate under the Adam & Eve name, though McGee has also acquired or developed other retail store brands, all sharing a common ethos.
We pay attention to the details, whether that’s the lighting in our stores or the way our managers are trained.
“We’ve never chased trends — we’ve built a culture,” says McGee. “From day one, I’ve tried to lead with integrity and focus on the long game. That means treating customers with respect, investing in our employees and doing the hard, unglamorous work that builds sustainability.”
By McGee’s side and contributing to day-to-day operations are his wife, Kara McGee; his two children, Kathryn Guy and Kraig McGee III; his son-in-law, Jack Guy; and daughter-in-law, Amanda McGee.
McGee describes himself as a “nuts and bolts kind of guy” who is naturally inclined to handle his role as company CFO. He’s also not afraid to get his hands dirty or roll up his sleeves and help unload a truck full of sex toy boxes when the need arises.
Even before he founded TAF, blending family values and a strong work ethic was already a key part of his career. In the early 1990s, McGee learned business operations by way of a crash course in his parents’ sports bar and restaurant. When his parents decided to part ways with their original founding partners, McGee stepped in.
“I learned a lot,” he recalls. “Mostly the hard way.”
Perhaps the most pivotal lesson McGee learned was that a life in the restaurant industry wouldn’t allow for quality time with his two young children. That’s when he decided to change gears.
After pondering alternatives, he found himself visiting several local adult retail stores. He soon began coming up with his own creative ideas for realizing the potential of the pleasure products industry, focusing on how he could do better than those who came before him.
In 1999, he opened his first adult store.
“It changed everything,” McGee says. “Back then, there weren’t many polished or inviting adult stores. Most felt intimidating or outdated. I saw an opportunity to do it differently, with clean, well-lit stores where customers could feel comfortable, no matter their background or experience level.”
Once into the swing of adult retail, McGee discovered unexpected rewards, such as the satisfaction of feeling that he was providing a community service.
“The thing that drew me in most was the blend of entrepreneurship and real impact,” he remembers. “I wasn’t just selling products. I was giving people tools for intimacy, self-expression and joy. When you do that with integrity and respect, customers respond. That’s what hooked me.”
Asked if anything else took him by surprise about the sex toy space, McGee replies without hesitation.
“The people, hands down,” he says. “I’ve made lifelong friendships in this industry. It’s a small, tight-knit community, and what surprised me most was how welcoming everyone was when I was starting out. Even competitors treated me like family. We may compete, but there’s mutual respect, and I think we all push each other to get better. That camaraderie has carried me through more than a few tough seasons.”
As his network of stores expanded, McGee established TAF to support the business overall with distribution, purchasing and other infrastructural functions in an organized way. The "TAF" moniker turns out to have a somewhat frivolous backstory.
“TAF stands for Tune A Fish,” McGee explains gravely. “Because you can tune a piano, but you can’t tune a fish.”
These days, McGee focuses primarily on his CFO duties.
“Accounting, budgets, forecasting — all the fun spreadsheet stuff,” he laughs. “But I also stay deeply involved in operations and strategy. We pay attention to the details, whether that’s the lighting in our stores or the way our managers are trained. I work closely with Kraig and Kathryn on the big picture, making sure we’re staying healthy as we grow.
“I like making sure the foundation of our business stays strong,” McGee affirms.
That’s been no simple task during the last few tough years of consumer sales. Just like retailers across many sectors, TAF has also had to grapple with new tariffs and a tense political climate. McGee admits that such challenges can be taxing, but says they are not necessarily surprising.
“You can’t be in business this long without adapting,” he observes. “I also believe that tough times are when your values matter most. We didn’t cut corners — we got smarter. We leaned on each other more than ever. I’m proud of how our team has handled it.”
With his kids now all grown up and helping to run the business, McGee even occasionally finds time for his second “career” as a musician. With an extensive music background that began in high school, he now plays bass and sings in a band, and sometimes enjoys jamming alongside fellow musicians in the pleasure industry, such as Steve Volponi, Joe Walla and Zach Goode.
Moving into the second half of 2025, smart growth remains the main focus for TAF. McGee and company plan to continue acquiring and developing new retail locations while refining the business practices at which they already excel. For McGee, that means choosing the right people — regardless of whether they’re relatives — and equipping them with the skills needed to carry on the TAF legacy.
Speaking of which, McGee says he will never completely step away from TAF, but he does look forward to taking on more of a mentoring role in the years ahead. Reflecting back on his career, he says, it’s the people who have made a difference in his life and business that stand out the most.
“If I had to sum it up, I’d say I’m proud, not just of the stores or the numbers, but of the people,” he concludes. “I’m grateful for the customers who’ve trusted us, the vendors who’ve partnered with us and the employees who’ve made this ride so worthwhile. I didn’t plan this life, but I’m glad it found me.”
