Babeland, until 2005 known as Toys in Babeland, is a sex toy boutique offering

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

toys,

books A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...

and pornographic films. Babeland has an online store and four retail stores (in Seattle, Brooklyn, and two in Manhattan).

History

Claire Cavanah and Rachel Venning founded Toys in Babeland in 1993, in response to the lack of women-friendly sex shops in Seattle. The store's name is a spoonerism of Babes in Toyland, a feminist riot grrrl punk band and '' Babes in Toyland'', the title of a 1934 Laurel & Hardy film. Committed to offering information and encouragement to women who wanted to explore their

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

, the owners focused on selling quality sex toys in a boutique-like setting. In 1995, Toys in Babeland started its mail order business with a small print catalog based out of their Seattle store. Shortly thereafter, in 1996, the Toys in Babeland website followed. In 1998, the owners opened their second Toys in Babeland store in New York City, on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

of Manhattan. In 2003, they opened another New York store, in SoHo. In 2005, Babeland debuted its fourth store in Los Angeles, which has since closed. In 2008, Babeland opened a new location in

Park Slope, Brooklyn A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

, making a total of three stores in New York City. In 2003, Venning and Cavanah published ''Sex Toys 101: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing and Using Sex Toys''. In 2008, Babeland ran a promotion in which they gave away a free sex toy to anyone who voted in that November's election. In January 2010, Venning and Cavanah, in association with Jessica Vitkus, published a second book: ''Moregasm: Babeland's Guide to Mind-Blowing Sex'' In May 2016, the Babeland stores in New York City voted to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, becoming the first U.S. sex shops to be unionized. In August 2017, Babeland was sold to rival sex shop Good Vibrations. Babeland continues to operate as a separate brand.

Notable employees

Queer erotica author Dena Hankins worked at Babeland as Web Operations Manager from 1998 to 2006.

Awards

Babeland has received numerous

awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

over the years, including a 2006 Zagat's Survey award as "the best shopping experience in New York." It was voted "Best Place to Buy Sex Toys" by '' The Village Voice'' , Voted "Best Sex Shop" of 2016 & 2017 by the ''Best of Seattle 2016 Reader Poll'' in '' Seattle Weekly''

Books published by Babeland

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References

External links

Babeland website
{{Coord, 47.61396, N, 122.322983, W, region:US-WA_type:landmark, display=title BDSM organizations Companies based in Seattle History of women in New York City History of women in Washington (state) Sex shops Sexuality in the United States Women and sexuality Women in New York City Women's organizations based in the United States