The store also took top honors as the Top Quality Sex Shop in the city, with company representatives accepting both awards at a ceremony at Bloomingdale’s.
“This award is special because it’s Zagat, perhaps the most respected rating company, and it’s New York, a city that loves to shop,” Babeland co-founder Rachel Venning said.
New York store manager Abby Weintraub attributed the award to the store’s staff, who are thought of as sex educators rather than clerks.
“They are truly magnificent and incredibly generous with their time, patience and knowledge,” Weintraub said. “This award proves something major about Babeland —not only are we the best at sex toys and sex info, we're also the best at customer service, which is the cornerstone of any retail operation.”
Babeland was founded in 1993 by Venning and Claire Cavanah to be a woman-friendly destination for adult-oriented products, beginning with its first Seattle location. The company started a mail-order operation in 1995 and expanded into New York and, later, Los Angeles. It also has an online presence at Babeland.com.
Venning and Cavanah also are co-authors of the book “Sex Toys 101.”
Babeland has been described as “the Williams-Sonoma of the well-stocked boudoir” by The New York Press. In addition to the Zagat awards, it has been voted “Best Place to Buy Sex Toys” by both The Village Voice and The Seattle Weekly.
Babeland.com has an affiliate program offering webmasters a referral fee of 15 percent on sales and an additional 5 percent referral fee on every approved affiliate they bring to the program.
