Searah Deysach loves sex toys, but she won’t sell penis-shaped birthday candles or novelty plastic breasts. “I don’t want to sound like the lesbian with no sense of humor,” she says, “but it’s this awful attitude–like, ‘Hey, boobies!’ And I love boobies, but what’s fun about creepy replicas of genitalia?”
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In 1998, says Deysach, “My girlfriend E-mailed me to say, ‘We need a dildo, can you get one?’” Once she started investigating, “I sort of fell in love with the whole industry, knowing how products are made and the materials used. I realized I was wasting all this energy and knowledge on me and my girlfriend.”
She quit her job in fall 2000 and headed west for an unofficial apprenticeship at Good Vibrations, San Francisco’s legendary woman-owned adult boutique. For two months Deysach hung around the store, observing what worked and what didn’t and crafting a vision of her own ideal business.
Early to Bed is at 5232 N. Sheridan, 773-271-1219. Hours are noon to 7 Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 9 Friday, noon to 10 Saturday, and noon to 5 Sunday. The next workshop, “Erotic Edgeplay: S & M for Couples,” is Tuesday, June 18, at 7:30. It’s $10, or pay what you can, and reservations are required. See www.early2bed.com for more information.
