Last week Nana and I went to the sex shop when she visited Atlanta. She has revealed on this blog that she has an “aversion” (if you can call it that) to going to Ghanaian sex shops and might feel more comfortable visiting one in the states. I on the other hand, have never been to a sex shop, anywhere. Somehow I always imagined seedy old men and semen on the walls in these establishments, and the thought has repulsed me enough to keep me out of any shop’s doors.
Until last week.
I dutifully took Nana to The Love Shack, which looked just like a shack. It was a wooden cabin decked out with neon lights, and I was grateful for the cover of night to cloak me from anyone seeing me go in. When we entered, a heavily tattooed lady interrupted her phone call to greet us and instructed us to let her know if we needed any help. We smiled and said thanks.
For my part, the atmosphere of the Love Shack conveyed more to do with fucking than it did with love. A visit to the store did not inspire me to purchase a toy and run home to show my man with relish and gusto. Apparently, several other people felt the same. A middle aged white couple came in, walked around for a few minutes and hastily exited the door.
“Nothing for you tonight?” said tattoo lady to the couple. “Come back and see us!” You could hear the disappointment through her false upbeat-ness.
As you come into the store, the “toys” and apparatus just got freakier and freakier. There was a big black plastic thing called the Double Teamer (you figure it out) and then this HUGE monster gel filled purple dick called the Ultimate Challenge. No lie, it had to be 18” long and at least 4” wide. The thought of stuffing something like that into my or anyone else’s vagina did not invoke thoughts of pleasure.
The video section of the Shack was possibly the most amusing, and made me feel like a total prude. As we strolled over to check out the titles, we nearly collided with a massive black man, who could have easily been a line backer for the Atlanta Falcons…in the GAY PORN SECTION. He carefully studied covers with titles such as “Gag that Fag”, made his selection, and walked over to the counter to pay. Nana and I walked over to the Lesbian and Straight porn section to look for what she called “woman friendly porn”. After she described what it was, I knew we wouldn’t find it among the DVDs portraying women with legs akimbo and four to fifteen penises wagging in her face.
I had seen enough, and I could sense Nana was ready to go. But the Shack was not done with us yet! As we were about to leave, I noticed a staircase to the left and pointed it out.
“What’s that,” Nana asked.
“It’s probably just more videos,” I replied.
“No, no,” said the mass of tattoos eagerly. “It’s a viewing booth.”
“A viewing booth??” we said in unison.
At that moment, a twenty something white boy in cargo shorts came down the stairs looking somewhat shaken and headed back for the video section. I am sad to report that our revulsion overpowered our journalistic curiosity and we did NOT go upstairs to see what/who was in that booth. We left the store empty handed and heads full of possible atrocities taking place in the attic of the shack.
Two days later I took Nana to visit my friend who is a purveyor of all things to do with pleasure. We bought a few things from her Pure Romance line, from the comfort of her home: some mechanized thing that seeks out your g-spot and coochy cream. I was far more comfortable in this setting, despite the Disney cartoon that was playing in the background. Somehow, that just seemed a little weird, seeing as we were three grown women talking about sexual intimacy and there was not a child in sight…
7 comments On Over the river and through the woods to the Love Shack we go!
@Abena – Oh dear, you have made me laugh. It’s interesting the different takes we have both taken on the same experience.
Correction – I did not reveal on this blog that I have an aversion to visiting sex shops in GH. That may have been a personal revelation to you my dear.
Nana Darkoa
Really? Well I guess you’ll have to do us all a favor and tell how the sex shops in GH compare!That is, if you can take the trauma…
Thanks for the tag-team posts. V interesting esp bcoz I visited a sex shop in Mass. (my first sex shop trip ever) and I agree, commercial sex-related stuff (porn, gadgets etc) are largely not woman-friendly. It’s hard to find anything that is not women receiving face fulls of bodily juices. Makes you wonder about a lot of things including who sex shops really target and do they reflect or rather influence people’s tastes?
Thanks for the posts…fun stuff 🙂
Lol at the disney cartoons! I’ve have sex with everything ranging from family guy to CNN on the TV in the background. Kinda absurd if you pause (mid-coitus) and think about it.
lol you guys were in my city going places I never knew existed! Either way, I’ve gone to shops a couple times in my life but not as a serious gesture. Mainly because my friends and I wanted to giggle and such. But I do understand the idea of these places not being “woman-friendly.”
What don’t you (or Nana) like about the Ghana shops?
Interestingly enough, one shop I went into (in NYC) was owned or run by a Ghanaian man. When I found out he was Ghanaian, I kinda shut down… cuz I felt like he could possibly be my uncle or closely related to someone I know. lol
Narc: At first, I thought that these sex shops influenced tastes rather than reflected them…but I think it depends on the customer. For my part, I would never buy a Double Teamer, because in my WILDEST dreams, I could never conjure up such a contraption.
Shane: Ha! If I had the TV on, I’d be sooo distracted. Esp with family guy. I’d stop my partner in mid-stoke and ask “Hey! Did you hear what Stewie just said?!?!?”
Lovelylind: Perhaps we can recruit you to go the Love Shack. It’s on Roswell rd on 285. You can be our peep show scout. *shudder*. I agree with completely about your Ghanaian uncle. I don’t like it when they ask me what I’m going to use zomi oil for when I go to the market, and I sure don’t want any Ghana-man asking what I’m going to use my oil/toy for when I get home. Ech.
I was just wondering if this is just a VA thing… but all the sex shops I know of are right accross the street or next door to a kid-friendly place…Like Toys R Us or Chucky Cheese… Kinda gross! Like the parents say “Here billy, you stay and play here so mommy and daddy can go next door to find mommy and daddy toys too”