Ah Men was a clothing store in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

which catered to a

gay male Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including ' ...

clientele. It was founded in the late 1950s or early 1960s by Jerry Furlow and Don Cook. It specialized in flamboyant styles, including garments made from see-through mesh, form-fitting swimwear, "erotic" underwear, and flowing caftans. It has been called the first gay retail business in West Hollywood, an area which would eventually come to be known as one of the most prominent

gay village A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establish ...

s in the United States. Ah Men also operated one of the first gay

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing a ...

businesses, which it advertised in

physique magazines Physique magazines or beefcake magazines were magazines devoted to physique photography — that is, photographs of muscular "beefcake" men – typically young and attractive – in athletic poses, usually in revealing, minimal clothing. During t ...

and other gay-interest publications. Between its retail business, mail-order operations, and manufacturing, Ah Men employed more than fifty people. Its success paved the way for other gay-oriented clothing boutiques in the area such as All American Boy, as well as the similar mail-order business International Male, which debuted in the mid-70s. It was originally located at 8933

Santa Monica Boulevard Santa Monica Boulevard is a major west–east thoroughfare in Los Angeles County. It runs from Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica near the Pacific Ocean to Sunset Boulevard at Sunset Junction in Los Angeles. It passes through Beverly Hills and West ...

. In 1972, it relocated to the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and

San Vicente Boulevard San Vicente Boulevard is a major northwest-southeast thoroughfare located in the western portion of the metropolitan area of Los Angeles, CA. The boulevard begins at Venice Boulevard between Crenshaw Boulevard and La Brea Avenue and travels in ...

, which is now the site of a bank. In the same year, two other locations were opened, one in

Silver Lake, Los Angeles Silver Lake is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Originally home to a small community called Ivanhoe in honor of Sir Walter Scott. In 1907, the Los Angeles Water Department built the ...

and the other in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Notes

References

{{coord, 34.08441, -118.38508, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title Mail-order retailers Buildings and structures in West Hollywood, California LGBT culture in Los Angeles 1960s establishments in California