Newsletter No. 19: WINTER 2002

In this the gift-giving season, we’d like to dedicate this newsletter to the sweet friends and partners who take the time to add a little vibration to the lives of those closest to them. Buying a first toy can be a daunting task and many a friend has chosen to express their deep friendship wishes by sending their best friend down the road of pleasure with their very first toy.

There are many types of gifts that are useful, necessary or unique; but none quite as delightful as a longed for silver strap-on, a tasty massage oil, or a pink rabbit vibrator. A sexual contraption, whether literature, film, toy, can be an exciting way to start exploring new types of arousal, expanding sensation, or finding a new ways to relate to a partner.

For friends this can be an important bond. Sharing gossip of techniques over cocktails or pot-lucks, is a great way to get non-judgmental feedback and support on a vibrant aspect of ourselves, our sexualities. Entering a sex toy store for the first time is always a little intimidating (no matter how friendly we try to be) and having a friend to back you up can mean the difference between keeping silent and feeling strong in voicing your desires. 

We enjoy the groups of friends who walk through our doors and support each other in their purchases. Likewise, dropping the hint of wanting a sex toy can be the best way to overcome the jitters. A wise friend will hear the hint and award you with a discrete little package.

For partners, the rewards are especially divine. The gift of a new realm of arousal and fantasy will not only make your partner’s blood rush, but in time, will expand your relationship together. An expanded repertoire, a new trick, or a different way to achieve orgasm can keep things exciting and new for years in the future. Spicing it up and adding a surprising new element can be important for keeping love on the burner. 

So in this holiday season, when days are short and everyone is rushing around in a busy frenzy, we honour the gift that keeps on giving. A gift given of love or friendship. A gift that means so much more when we feel supported by our friends and lovers to be our proud, loud, sexual selves.  

 
 

WORKSHOP NEWS 

This past October we kicked off what is going to be a year of exciting new workshops from folks far away and near by.  We brought Carol Queen from San Francisco for a very successful series of workshops and a packed performance at Buddies in Bad Times theatre.  The response to Carol’s visit has inspired us to keep it up.  

The next two out-of-towners we are hosting are Cecilia Tan and Midori.   Cecilia, who is both an author and the owner of Circlet Press, is coming first in December for just one workshop, but then she’ll be returning in August 2003 for a longer series of more involved workshops.  You can find out more about Cecilia at her website www.ceciliatan.com.  

In the New Year we are bringing in Fetish Diva Midori.  Midori is North America’s foremost expert on Japanese Rope Bondage, and author of the Sensual Art of Japanese Rope Bondage.  She is also an educator and consultant and travels the world teaching courses and lecturing on everything from how to host a sex party to rope bondage to the fine art of verbal humiliation.  Midori will be coming to Toronto first in February, for a series of pre-Valentine’s Day workshops, and then she will be returning in May for more workshops and fun.  All the details are on the back of this newsletter.  
For more information about any of these workshops visit our website or call 416-504-7934.  

OUR LITTLE CO-OPERATIVE HAS GROWN
We’d like to formally welcome our newest owner, Jack Lamon. We’re very happy to be owned by four fabulous worker-owners and Jack is the newest addition to our team. You may know him as the highly energetic and cheerful head of the mail-order department with sarcastic wit to boot. He is a whirlwind of activity saving many a computer from frying, dealing with the bureaucratic chaos of Canada Post all the while shipping toys to happy destinations all over the world. 

 

A collection of toys that add the va-voom to any sexual encounter. Vibration that warms the blood, stimulates the brain, and gets the muscles jumping. Whether you are a friend or a lover, toys are the gift that come as a welcome surprise and open a new door of excitement and experimentation.

TOY KITS

Part Elvis, part CSI, and all Vegas, the Vegas Kit includes a funky and powerful leopard print vibrator, a sexy dice game, and a sampling of flavoured warming oil pillow packs.  Set your soul on fire (without having to get married in the middle of the night by an Elvis impersonator).  $33.00

Tired of giving the same old presents to the men in your life: socks, ties, pornography?  Our elves have assembled a Boy Toy Kit to get him started. And it’s full of toys for him to use by himself and with others.  The beginner size jelly plug, a lasso cock ring, a bottle of thick Maximus lube, and Japanese condoms with studs on the inside (for the pleasure of the wearer). $38.00

FEATURE TOYS

For the fella who has (almost) everything, get him the latest pleasure sleeve for men, the Velvet Kiss. Made of a soft, dense, but surprisingly stretchy rubber, the Velvet Kiss is ribbed on the inside and creates intense sensations when penetrated. $45.00

The Three Speed Wireless Sapphire Thong is the perfect thing for the gadget lover (or control freak) on your shopping list, this toy takes remote control vibration to a new level.  The Sapphire offers a greater range (up to 20 feet), three speeds, and a funky patent-leather look, and the same power hungry fun of our other remote control toys. $134.00

Angel Hair Floggers are super-cute, and warm the skin with a light touch. These unique floggers are made of soft latex falls and come in a variety of exciting colours to match any decor. Fabulous for both mild play and experienced scenesters. $20.00 to $36.00
 

For those of us visually inclined, there is nothing better to stoke the home fires, then popping in our favorite porn movie. There is always that scene we can count on to inexplically push us over the edge. So, snuggle up to that VCR or DVD PLAYER and get set to discover a whole new realm of erotic possibility.

VIDEO & DVD KITS

The return of the best-selling, Porn Starter Video Kit, means you can get started on your own personal porn library. A selection of three videos: mild, medium, and hot; offering a range of explicitness for the savviest of viewers. $80.00 (save $22.00)

The perfect gift for the person who has just purchased their first DVD player. Join this newest technology craze, which conveniently also means watching lots of porn. My First DVD Player Kit gets it all started with three DVD’s by some great directors we’ve come to love. $130.00 (save $20.00)

Imagine Nina Hartley as a professor at your local college. There may be a day when sex is taught just like any other skill but until then there is Nina’s School of Sex DVD Kit featuring three DVD’s: Nina Hartley’s Guides to Sex Toys, Advanced Oral, and Anal Play. $120.00 (save $30.00) 

FEATURE VIDEOS & DVD’S

Sometimes all the make-up in the world can’t hide that porn stars are real people too. Our Porn-Verite films offer such a direction. Porn stars being themselves in scenarios we can all relate to. The original reality television, if you will, but with a lot more sex.

Shane’s World 19 is the newest in a best-selling series of Shane on vacation with her friends. This video features one of the best rain series ever caught on tape. Partying, sight-seeing, and explicit sex. Don’t you wish these were your friends? Heterosexual focus. VHS $34.00

Four Finger Club 16 features the cutest pairing of women clearly having a fun time. Sex toys, fingers, and lots of lube lead to excessive amounts of giggling and orgasms. Lesbian focus. $60.00 DVD $34.00 VHS 

Kelly has inherited the director’s chair from Rocco and the gloves are off. She gets sex just the way she likes it and it is an awesome sight. A focus on anal, double penetration, group sex, and the best raunch to make the most jaded viewer blush. Kelly’s Way to Love is a whole new level of fabulously explicit fantasy-based porn. Heterosexual focus. $50.00 DVD $34.00 VHS

 

 

 

Two spicy kits and a collection of education literature for the newly curious to the vibrantly adventurous. Winter is the time to snuggle down with a good book, learn the ins and outs (and ins and outs) and have fun keeping warm.

BOOK KITS

Winter sees the return of our ever popular, Get Drenched Kit, full of waterproof fun. This kit features the newest collection of submersible erotica, Wet, as well as a waterproof pocket rocket and Eros lube that makes bath time a little slippery. Everyone needs a change to get away and here’s a gift for your sweetie that guarantees relaxation and a chance to soak in the tub all day long. Cost: $60.00

The Military Pin Up Kit includes eight pin-ups, four post-cards, and one twenty-one inch centerfold. A sexy blast from the past. $17.50

FEATURE BOOKS

And talk about a blast from the past, the Joy of Sex, 30th Anniversary Edition is a brand-new and updated edition for a new generation. One hundred drawings plus sixteen full colour photographs. The book that thrilled thousands of rummaging teenagers. Now you can own a copy of your very own. Hardcover, $39.95

Orgasms for Two: The Joy of Partner Sex is written by the veritable expert of orgasm, Betty Dodson (author of the best-selling classic Sex for One) An older and wiser Dodson expounds upon her knowledge to create a sweet and insightful how-to for couples. Hardcover, $30.00

Cunt Version 2 is funny, political, and engaging. A modern feminist manifesto that spans generations. For the woman in your life who loves the liberation of the c-word. $24.95

Good Vibrations Guide to Sex (Third Edition) comes with one of our highest recommendations as the ultimate reference book on sex. Full of well-explained sections on every topic, this book is the absolute best gift for anyone looking for something spicy in the bedroom. $44.95
 

WORKSHOPS

Stroking The Pen 
Sunday December 15,  7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
A workshop on how to free your erotic imagination through writing.  Attendees will try their hands at short erotic vignettes, with fun exercises to share with the group or with a partner. With Cecilia Tan. Cost is $25.00

Female Ejaculation
January 21   7:30 - 10:00 pm
is for women only
January 22    7:30 - 10:00 pm
is for women, and men accompanied by a woman
Returning with her popular seminar, Shannon Bell will discuss female ejaculation from a historical and theoretical perspective, followed by an overview of anatomy and technique, plus a demonstration. Cost is $25.00

   
Intro to Japanese and Other Creative Rope Bondage Essentials 
February 7,  7:30 pm to 10:00 pm 
The Art of Feminine Dominance 
February 9, 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Aural Sex 1: Seduction by Voice & Erotic Storytelling 
February 10, 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm

A selection of workshops by author and sex educator, Fetish Diva Midori. For more information see www.comeasyouare.com or www.fetishdiva.com. Cost per workshop is $30.00 Register for all three of Midori’s workshops and save $10.00 off the total cost.