From East Bay Express: 'Sex Stores Are Not Scary'
(Excerpt) - Written by Annie Crawford
If you're looking for that perfect something for that perfect someone, check out one of the East Bay's standout sex stores. Don't have a certain someone? Even better. Adult boutiques love to cater to a party of one.
The Bay Area is proudly sex positive, and our welcoming, well-stocked adult boutiques prove it. If you're wrapped up in feelings this Valentine's Day, express yourself with more than words with a gift from one of these shops. And if you're celebrating the joys of Singles Awareness Day, toys for one are just as fun — and, as Nenna Feelmore owner of Feelmore Adult Gallery, assured us, "a dildo is drama free."
Feelmore Adult Gallery
1703 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
Tucked into Uptown Oakland, Feelmore Adult Gallery offers all the right stuff in a stylish boutique setting. The sex toys are curated and the wallpaper and decor are chic. It's the perfect place to stop in for new goods or good company.
Owner Nenna Feelmore is all about providing a sex positive space for the community, as well as being a community leader. Perhaps you've seen the store's billboard, "Our Bullets Don't Hurt," a commentary against police violence, featuring a pint-sized, aptly named, bullet vibrator. Feelmore (who prefers to go by the pronoun they) dreamt that they opened a sex shop and soon after began selling sex toys and novelties from the trunk of their car.
In February 2011, Feelmore Adult Gallery opened. "I saw the business of sex was missing Brown people on the decision-making side," they said. "In the novelty section, I didn't see many people of color. I thought the adult novelty side was where I could be best used."
Their passion and vision are real and the shop is a vibrant and welcoming space with a fantastically curated selection of vibrators, dildos, novelty items, kink, art, literature, and more. "The fun part of Feelmore is not just selling toys but also meeting the interesting people who have become my friends," they said. "I've had a great experience as a small business owner in Oakland. I count the clients as my team."
As for gifts, "Everyone should have a dildo in their life: blue, green, brown, and especially black," they said. The store is community-oriented with a range of events from comedy shows to resources for sex workers to soon-to-take place astrology readings. Check Feelmore's website for upcoming events, and know you can always stop in to say hello and take stock of the latest and greatest toys.
