Feature Articles
Viben's Kara Liburd on Building a Fulfilling Career in the Industry
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Viben's Kara Liburd on Building a Fulfilling Career in the Industry
“We work in an industry where trust, follow-through and service matter just as much as product quality,” declares Viben sales exec Kara Liburd. “Retailers today want analytics, marketing assets and deeper product knowledge, and brands are stepping up to provide that support.”
WoodRocket Delivers Classic Adult Fun With a Quirky, Modern Twist
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WoodRocket Delivers Classic Adult Fun With a Quirky, Modern Twist
What does it take to stand out in the industry these days? How about a “Live, Laugh, Cum” keychain?
Efren Méndez Leads LoveStore Mexico With a Community-First Approach
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Efren Méndez Leads LoveStore Mexico With a Community-First Approach
Fifteen years ago, Efren Méndez and a friend walked into a sex shop. They were looking for nothing more than a few items for a party. Instead, the moment altered the direction of his career, and ultimately his life.
Kyrie Hara Fuels Tenga's Growth as U.S. Sales Lead
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Kyrie Hara Fuels Tenga's Growth as U.S. Sales Lead
Kyrie Hara is making significant moves. After racking up sales and general management experience during her 14-year run with Hawaiian retailer Sensually Yours, Hara has quickly embraced her role as the newest U.S. sales lead with Japanese manufacturer Tenga.
Alex Feynerol Discusses Svakom's Male-Focused Brand, Kaotik Labs
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Alex Feynerol Discusses Svakom's Male-Focused Brand, Kaotik Labs
Over the past 13 years, Svakom has built its brand on sensuality and emotional intimacy, focusing on elegant design, wellness-oriented messaging and accessible pricing for vibrators and couples’ products — what the company often describes as “affordable luxury.” Recently, however, the company has had to adjust its traditional marketing tactics to fit one particular category steadily gaining prominence: male masturbators.
Eversense Founder Matty Hennessy Discusses Engineering Products for Trans Bodies
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Eversense Founder Matty Hennessy Discusses Engineering Products for Trans Bodies
For transgender folks shopping for pleasure products, it can be a daunting challenge to find items that accommodate their changing bodies, address their specific needs and support gender affirmation during intimacy.
LSMT's Allison Brazier on Creating a More Connected Shopping Experience
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LSMT's Allison Brazier on Creating a More Connected Shopping Experience
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.
Zondre Watson Levels Up POS, E-Commerce Solutions for Ero-Tech
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Zondre Watson Levels Up POS, E-Commerce Solutions for Ero-Tech
When POS systems malfunction or fail, Zondre Watson is Ero-Tech's go-to tech guy. A self-described “data geek and eternal retail rebel,” Watson knows adult retail inside and out. He’s experienced the sex toy industry as a store manager, sales data enthusiast and web developer.
The Male Rose Co-Founder Heather Gruber Discusses Journey in Building the Brand
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The Male Rose Co-Founder Heather Gruber Discusses Journey in Building the Brand
Recognizing high demand and interest as profitable pleasure products spread across influencer platforms, in 2021, Jamael Williams and Heather Gruber decided to launch a company with a clear mission: to help men feel more comfortable using pleasure products and talking about them with their partners.
Zhe Founder Karyn Elizabeth Creates Gender-Affirming Lingerie Fashion
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Zhe Founder Karyn Elizabeth Creates Gender-Affirming Lingerie Fashion
For years, the mainstream lingerie market has been shaped by narrow beauty standards and cisnormativity, with little room for gender diversity. Most lingerie is designed to fit cisgender female bodies, while trans people are often forced to go DIY with uncomfortable solutions like pantyhose, duct tape and ill-fitting shapewear.
Neon Coyotes Sets the Tone for Trendiness With Bespoke Leather Kink Wear
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Neon Coyotes Sets the Tone for Trendiness With Bespoke Leather Kink Wear
If your kink wear can’t readily make the leap from a dark BDSM dungeon to a sunny, mimosa-fueled brunch, you haven’t yet been initiated into the cult of the Neon Coyotes — fresh, leather kink wear brand transforming restraints into runway-ready art.
Spicerack Market Offers Indie Brands a Launching Pad
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Spicerack Market Offers Indie Brands a Launching Pad
Spicerack Market is an ecommerce platform with the heart of an artisan crafter and the soul of a kinkster. On the website, independent sex toy makers, lingerie seamstresses and kink gear craftspeople can set up a personalized shop to sell their handmade wares, unhindered by censorship or bans on adult products.
Good Relations Fosters Sex Wellness, Positivity for 40+ Years
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Good Relations Fosters Sex Wellness, Positivity for 40+ Years
Melinda Myers, the founder and owner of Good Relations in Eureka, California, was still in college when she got invited to attend her first pleasure products home party.
Dr. Tush's Brings Anal Care to the Forefront
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Dr. Tush's Brings Anal Care to the Forefront
Few personal health products have inspired descriptions quite so bold as “If Neosporin and Aquaphor had a baby, and that baby became a crime-fighting superhero for your skin.” Then again, even fewer can live up to their own hype.
Dennis DeSantis on Building a Blockbuster Career in Adult Retail
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Dennis DeSantis on Building a Blockbuster Career in Adult Retail
The adult industry and the mainstream Hollywood scene often intersect, and few executives are more familiar with that crossover than Dennis DeSantis.
'Pleasure Professionals Place' Facebook Group Marks 5 Years of Fostering Connections
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'Pleasure Professionals Place' Facebook Group Marks 5 Years of Fostering Connections
Where can you find the pleasure industry’s most tantalizing, trending and relevant conversational banter? For once, we’re not talking about a trade show after-party!
Friday Bae Founder Benoit Palix Discusses Brand's Gen Z Focus
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Friday Bae Founder Benoit Palix Discusses Brand's Gen Z Focus
French sexual wellness brand Friday Bae is aiming to disrupt the market with its genderfluid, inclusive pleasure products. With bright pops of color for Gen Z and millennials to swoon over, Friday Bae is merging creativity and education for fans, dubbed the “Bae Squad.”
Self Serve's Matie Fricker on Promoting Sex-Positivity in Albuquerque
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Self Serve's Matie Fricker on Promoting Sex-Positivity in Albuquerque
For 18 years, Self Serve has been providing a sex-positive space for adult toys and resources to folks in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The story behind its success is all about making connections: connecting with your passion, with your business partner, with your customers, with your staff and with your community.
Industry Vet Mike Savage Discusses Comeback, Goals With Full Circle Distribution
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Industry Vet Mike Savage Discusses Comeback, Goals With Full Circle Distribution
"We never know where life’s going to take us,” says Mike Savage. He should know. The pleasure biz veteran, who describes himself as “a poor Irish kid from Philly,” first made his name in the adult retail biz over the course of a nearly 40-year career.
Sensually Yours Founder Shellee Rose on Boosting Sex Positivity in Hawaii
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Sensually Yours Founder Shellee Rose on Boosting Sex Positivity in Hawaii
Honolulu pleasure store Sensually Yours has served Hawaii for 40 years, establishing itself as a top destination for adult products. Founder and President Shellee Rose says her most important strategy for achieving four decades of success has been prioritizing customers.
