Managing adult retail stores in Florida and Texas has never been for the faint of heart, but lately it’s become a veritable high-wire act. Between new legislation and shifting local attitudes, it seems like every day brings a new obstacle.
For Allison Brazier, director of sales and operations for adult chain LSMT, that means that her team not only has to stay compliant with laws and regulations, but must also find ways to keep stores welcoming and accessible to adult customers in an unpredictable, shifting and sometimes hostile climate.
Our biggest advantage as a brick-and-mortar business is connecting face-to-face with people, making them feel valued in their purchases, knowledgeable about what they’re getting and confident in how to use it.
Established over 40 years ago, LSMT’s stores include New Fine Arts, Adult Megaplex and Adult Video Warehouse. Brazier manages 13 locations: in Dallas, Austin, El Paso, San Antonio and Florida’s Palm Beach, where age verification laws have also driven a rise in DVD sales.
LSMT’s stores carry an array of adult products, along with locations offering smoke shop goods like CBD products and vaporizers. Brazier says offering quality products is only part of the mission; she trains her staff to put customers first, encouraging conversations that make visitors feel at ease the moment they walk in.
“We train and practice with our employees on how to approach customers and hopefully break down that barrier a bit so they are more willing to ask questions,” Brazier notes. “Because everybody has a question when you come into an adult shop; it’s just whether they will ask it.”
Brazier recounts one heartwarming and unforgettable moment: when a proud grandma brought in her 18-year-old granddaughter to pick out her very first toy. Both were beaming from the moment they walked in, giggling like best friends on a secret mission. Grandma wasn’t shy about giving advice and her granddaughter couldn’t stop laughing as they compared notes and explored the shelves together.
Watching the pair celebrate this milestone with such warmth, humor and zero embarrassment, Brazier says, was a reminder that pleasure has no age limit.
“It was such a sweet, touching experience,” she recalls. “They both left very happy. And I think it really was a great connection for them. It was a truly rewarding scenario and probably not something many grandmothers do with their granddaughters, but I thought it was something really special.”
Unfortunately, operating in states where adult retail faces mounting scrutiny has recently meant dealing with a much less encouraging scenario.
For years, Pride events gave LSMT the chance to connect with customers beyond the store walls, celebrating love, identity and freedom right alongside the LGBTQ+ community. Those events weren’t just marketing; they were moments of visibility and joy. Now, with many Pride festivals in Florida scaled back or canceled entirely, Brazier and her team are navigating how to maintain that same spirit of inclusion in the current environment.
“It’s challenging and unfortunate, because we support, employ, love and embrace that community,” says Brazier.
Nevertheless, the LSMT team remains focused on creating opportunities for genuine connection, including through in-store events designed to generate excitement and strengthen community bonds.
“We try to become a part of the community,” Brazier says.
Her stores keep in contact with customers through email lists, and each LSMT location hosts two to four events per year. Brazier says that attendance can reach up to 350 guests at one location.
“We host a big event in October called a Pleasure Carnival, which is mainly for attendees to enjoy carnival games with an adult twist,” she says. “It’s something our customers really love and look forward to because there’s nothing else quite like it.”
The goal is to turn shopping into an experience customers look forward to — not just a transaction — by bringing the community together, celebrating curiosity and reminding everyone that pleasure shopping can be fun, social and empowering.
Events like the Pleasure Carnival do more than entertain — they foster lasting connections between customers and staff, breaking down stigma through fun, education and authentic interaction. That’s why Brazier views them as a vital part of LSMT’s identity moving forward.
“Our goals for the next five years mainly focus on our people and their education in this space, aiming to keep enhancing the experience our employees can provide to customers,” Brazier shares. “Our biggest advantage as a brick-and-mortar business is connecting face-to-face with people, making them feel valued in their purchases, knowledgeable about what they’re getting and confident in how to use it.”
