From The Owner, Rita

Before Shades of Love, the only adult stores that existed in San Antonio were windowless, wallpapered with pornography, and staffed with creepy, intimidating men. I hated shopping at these stores and would only go if my husband went with me (so much for surprising him). I had the idea to open a store geared towards women offering the same products but in a comfortable, clean, and safe location.
Not as easy as it sounds.
Back in 2000, I wasn’t quite sure I could find someone to lease to me in nicer and safer areas in town. I was almost right. After two years of hearing “NO,” I was about to give up. Luckily, I found my current location and a landlord with an open mind.
Even then, the first year was horrible. I was starting to regret opening the store, and I am sure my landlord was as well. We had people petitioning to close the store, nasty letters left on our door, and people “praying for me,” craziness!
My landlord received a lot of complaints about Shades of Love. The city (both the government and the police) was giving me a hard time. When we opened, we were not permitted to say “vibrator” or “dildo” due to local laws. Instead, we had to say “marital aid.” Also, if you had more than five sex toys in your possession, you could be arrested, even if they were your store’s merchandise. So doing home parties was tricky. More craziness!
After about a year or so, people calmed down and found that we were an excellent addition to the neighborhood. Most importantly, we were there to provide a service by helping people improve their relationships.
I am so blessed that I still love what I do and enjoy every minute of it. Thank God, we have received no more complaints or letters, and hopefully, the prayers that we get now are that we continue to serve the San Antonio community.

Love, Rita