We recently spoke to with Ky Hoyle & Renee Denyer, the brains, bra’s and beauty behind Sh! Womenstore in our article ‘Let’s talk about sex baby, let’s talk about you and me‘.
So following on, here is the rest of the article, where we talk vibrators, toys and more.
Which items reap the reaction of-
1) shock – Renee: The weight and size of Njoy Eleven stainless steel dildo. Not for the faint of heart!
Ky: A new E-Stim vibrator is about to launch. It delivers a small electric current – when I tested it (on my hand) I flung it across the room. I can see we will have to display it in a quiet corner or warn our customers to duck!
2) giggles – Renee: All the toys! Vibrators, spanking equipment, cock rings… Light-hearted giggles are good – it means the customer is having fun.
3) touchy feely PDA’s – Renee: The strap-on corner is the best place for PDA’s – customers are imagining the good times ahead…
Ky: Also the intercourse-enhancing area, where the We-Vibe is displayed is pretty touchy feely. I love the fact that whatever the couple combination ( M/F or F/F) peeps feel comfortable and free enough to be themselves at Sh!
What is the most decadent item available to buy?
Renee: A sparkly butt plug, or perhaps a deep red dildo with a lush, furry tail…
Obviously not everybody can make it in store but fabulously you have a website. If somebody is new to adult online shopping what can they do to make the experience easier and more enjoyable?
Renee: Whether buying a couples’ toy or one for solo play, you can always phone us for advice and recommendations. We know that especially for newbies, the choice can be mind-boggling. Our one goal is matching the right toy to the customer and this comes over profit for us, so don’t be afraid that we’ll recommend the most expensive toy in the place, because, we won’t! Actually starting small, without investing too much is probably the best place to start for beginners as the focus should be on the added pleasure a toy can bring to the party, not the price tag.
Ky: (i) If buying to use between themselves and partner! Read our advice aboutintroducing a sex toy to your partner
ii) for use alone. Read our advice about buying your first sex toy
We have a whole advice section for beginners https://www.sh-womenstore.com/blog/advice/first/ as well as a ‘My First Sex Toy’ category on our shopping site
A customer decides to buy their first dildo but they don’t know where to start… Would the colour of it be a ridiculous place to start? What’s you advice on picking the perfect bunny?
Renee: Just so we’re clear, coz there’s still a lot of confusion on the difference between a dildo and a vibrator; a dildo is a toy purely for penetrative pleasure whereas a vibrator – err! Vibrates! Despite the myths and porn fantasy, women will often not use a vibrator penetratively during masturbation – it’s all about clitoral pleasure. So the first thing we try to establish is what kind of pleasure is the woman looking for, then if it’s a clitoral vibrator, what kind of intensity? Some women need a lot of stimulation, whereas for other’s this is de-sensitizing. This isn’t to say we barrage our customers with questions! It’s all done with a lot of experience about body language, comfort- signals, tea and time alone, for peeps to browse and take it all in…
Ky: Many customers choose toys by colour, so not ridiculous at all. Women shop emotionally, so colours, shape and “feel” counts. However – it’s important that the chosen toy does its job too. If a customer is shopping for a dildo, we recommend she thinks about how many finger feels ‘just right’ when playing, and that’s usually the size to opt for. You need to think about length (do you prefer shallow or deep penetration if you’re looking for a toy with a shaft?), and you need to consider volume too (in case you have flatmates, for example). Luckily most toys are very quiet these days!
Do toys have a Best Before? When is it time to bin it and pay yourselves a visit?
Renee: Porous or semi-porous material will degrade over time; lubes and juices will sink into the material however well you clean them (covering such toys with condoms is a good trick). Silicone toys are more expensive, but they are hypo-allergenic and non-porus so super-easy to keep clean. Silicone toys will last longer, so well worth the extra money.
If a cheaper-material toy is looking “tired” or if it has a certain smell to it… Bin it, and come see us! It’s time for an upgrade.
Ky: A new relationship is probably also a time to renew toys. Sex toys can hold a lot of emotional value and memories and can even be a source of jealousy or revenge – (we’ve had quite a few tales of cut-up dildos!) so introduce a secondhand sex toy, that has been enjoyed with a former partner, only if you are SURE it will be received happily otherwise reinvest in new toys to cement your togetherness.
What’s your top-selling item? Any personal faves if you care to divulge, otherwise when it comes to assisting customers with tips and experience, how does that work?
Renee: Rabbit vibrators are the bestselling sex toy in the world – also so at Sh!. All you need to do is lay back and relax, the toy does the rest!
Ky: Knew the Rabbit was a winner when I first discovered & started promoting it back in 1993, way before rabbits became ‘rampant’! The best style has free-flowing balls in the shaft as they deliver an amazing massaging experience.
Of course the Rabbit is tried and trusted, but this is exciting times for new technology which is producing totally new vision for female pleasure – one of the most revolutionary being the Womanizer – a toy that works on vacuum rather than vibration – it’s quite a breakthrough!
Renee: Personal favourites don’t come into it – it’s about what works best for the customer. We all have different desires and needs; what works for one may not work for another. But – if I was to share – get yourself a pair of love balls. Stronger pc muscle means stronger, longer orgasms. That’s a win! And lube. You should always have a good water-based lube handy. I recommend Lush Pure as it is paraben-free, taste-free and scent-free.
Sex Toys might be a bit daunting for some, what’s the best way to explore with a partner or alone that will build up to that big climax of using one?
Renee: We can’t guarantee orgasms, and that’s important to note. We can, however, offer useful tips and tricks on how to find out what works for you. Spend time working out which part of your clitoris is most sensitive, using lube to ensure all is sexy and slidey, experiment with the vibrator to find out where it feels best… And breathe. Many women forget to breathe. Deep breathing right into the pit of your stomach will help.
Have Sh! had a Dragon’s Den moment and created products/ Toys? If so which are you most proud of?
Ky: We pretty proud of all our own-brand products, otherwise we wouldn’t have put the Sh! stamp of approval on them. We have our own range of lube, vibes, love balls and anal toys but probably we are most proud of our strap on harnesses and silicone dildos, which were the first thing we started manufacturing in 1993, because we couldn’t find any we were happy to stock. They are all handmade in London and as beautiful as they are practical (,no stupid twang-back elastic or impossible to keep clean fused dildos) – not the cheapest, certainly, as they are not mass-produced in China, but they have a world-wide top reputation.
What’s the vision for Sh! in 2015?
Ky: This year we introduced Café V a safe event for women to reclaim pleasurable sexuality after sexual violence and, just like every year, we’ll carry on our work of positively empowering ALL women’s sexuality. There’s still quite a lot of work to do; older women’s sexuality is still either invisible or treated as a joke, for example and that needs redressing.
Our Soiree’s (our erotic class home party experience that’s more Ted than tupperware) will be a big thing this year too and we’ll be introducing new exclusive Sh! toys too – it’s all go!