IN 2012, I stopped off at The R Bar one night, and saw my friends Hope and Andrea at the bar. Hope was talking excitedly about the idea of opening a sex toy shop in New Orleans. There may have been a napkin with sketches, though that’s possibly just my memory’s set dresser embellishing the scene.
Either way, I unwittingly witnessed a moment of genesis. Fast forward almost a decade and Dynamo enjoys a discreet but beautifully-appointed home on Saint Claude Avenue. It’s been located there for five years, a shining vindication of inspiration, ambition and hard work, and a credit both to the city and its owners.
Early on in the germination period Hope teamed up with her friends, Nico and her partner Max. Nico had recently arrived in the city after working at The Tool Shed in Milwaukee, a progressive sex store with a strong line in products for trans bodies. It was the perfect alignment of a strong work ethos and outlooks that preach sexual fulfilment for every body.
“There were sex toy stores in New Orleans before Dynamo,” says Hope, “But none of them had that mission of opening up conversations about sex. No shop that I knew of was only carrying body-safe toys, and no-one was running classes or any kind of education. Those are the parts that seem fun to me and so I thought well, let’s try it.”
Hope and Nico launched Dynamo as a pop-up in mid 2013, showing up to burlesque shows and open mic nights like Esoterotica. “We were lucky that those shows were happy to have us, and we spent a lot of time at The Allways Lounge.”
(continues)
Either way, I unwittingly witnessed a moment of genesis. Fast forward almost a decade and Dynamo enjoys a discreet but beautifully-appointed home on Saint Claude Avenue. It’s been located there for five years, a shining vindication of inspiration, ambition and hard work, and a credit both to the city and its owners.
Early on in the germination period Hope teamed up with her friends, Nico and her partner Max. Nico had recently arrived in the city after working at The Tool Shed in Milwaukee, a progressive sex store with a strong line in products for trans bodies. It was the perfect alignment of a strong work ethos and outlooks that preach sexual fulfilment for every body.
“There were sex toy stores in New Orleans before Dynamo,” says Hope, “But none of them had that mission of opening up conversations about sex. No shop that I knew of was only carrying body-safe toys, and no-one was running classes or any kind of education. Those are the parts that seem fun to me and so I thought well, let’s try it.”
Hope and Nico launched Dynamo as a pop-up in mid 2013, showing up to burlesque shows and open mic nights like Esoterotica. “We were lucky that those shows were happy to have us, and we spent a lot of time at The Allways Lounge.”
(continues)
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In 2015 they won a small grant, giving them two months’ free rent in the corner of a thrift store (now Nola Mia gelato) next door to The Allways Lounge. “We ran a 10’x10’ unit that we nicknamed ‘The Fort’,” says Hope. “We had to use room dividers to hide the products from kids that would come into the shop but people came to see us and we did pretty well considering.”
The shop then moved into a room above a theatre for a year before landing on their present spot in 2016. The hard work was still ahead of the team, though. “Although the property was zoned for mixed use when we moved in, there was so much to do to get the place up to code for a retail unit,” Hope recalls.
Fireproofing, interior adjustments and a ramp to make the shop accessible from the street all cost money, as did permits and stock. Dynamo crowdfunded three quarters of the necessary equity and added the rest of the money themselves.
After a year of hard work and renovations, all the while running as much of a business as was possible, Dynamo opened officially in November 2017. “We always wanted to be a completely legitimate business in all aspects,” says Hope. “That includes how we present ourselves, how we interact with customers and how we operate as a part of the city’s retail landscape.” This really is important, as sex-positive businesses can be subject to all kinds of puritanical obstacles, even in New Orleans.
The store was firing on all cylinders from the get-go, though. An impressive inventory was assembled, classes on various aspects of adult sex education were run, and reciprocal community support was established.
Dynamo has always looked to local creators and so a good slice of their stock contains items such as rope from Happy Kitten and leather harnesses from Talisman Leather. Vibrators, plugs and dildos line the shelves in elegant displays. Hope, Nico and Max are all also wonderfully stylish, but equal parts welcoming, erudite and utterly nonjudgmental.
(continues)
The shop then moved into a room above a theatre for a year before landing on their present spot in 2016. The hard work was still ahead of the team, though. “Although the property was zoned for mixed use when we moved in, there was so much to do to get the place up to code for a retail unit,” Hope recalls.
Fireproofing, interior adjustments and a ramp to make the shop accessible from the street all cost money, as did permits and stock. Dynamo crowdfunded three quarters of the necessary equity and added the rest of the money themselves.
After a year of hard work and renovations, all the while running as much of a business as was possible, Dynamo opened officially in November 2017. “We always wanted to be a completely legitimate business in all aspects,” says Hope. “That includes how we present ourselves, how we interact with customers and how we operate as a part of the city’s retail landscape.” This really is important, as sex-positive businesses can be subject to all kinds of puritanical obstacles, even in New Orleans.
The store was firing on all cylinders from the get-go, though. An impressive inventory was assembled, classes on various aspects of adult sex education were run, and reciprocal community support was established.
Dynamo has always looked to local creators and so a good slice of their stock contains items such as rope from Happy Kitten and leather harnesses from Talisman Leather. Vibrators, plugs and dildos line the shelves in elegant displays. Hope, Nico and Max are all also wonderfully stylish, but equal parts welcoming, erudite and utterly nonjudgmental.
(continues)
|
|
It’s obvious that Hope and Nico are supremely enthused about normalizing conversations around sex and sex practices, and together they present a near-encyclopedic knowledge of their products. They can help someone choose their first dildo or they can get into more detailed conversations with people who have more intricate needs or concerns. It’s certainly the best local store of its kind for the LGBTQ community.
Whether it’s a query about the best lube for a specific toy, possible allergies to butt plug materials or the most body-friendly dildo, Dynamo can happily steer customers in the right direction. You know how second-hand car salesman say “What can I do to get you inside a car today?” It’s kind of like that but reversed: what can they do to get a toy inside you today? There’s no hard sell here, though. Again, it’s all about getting over our collective reluctance to communicate our sexual preferences.
People’s shopping habits can definitely be influenced by cultural events. As questionable as the literary or cinematic merits of the Fifty Shades of Grey series are, new horizons opened up for a lot of people afterwards. “Whatever you think about Fifty Shades, it’s good that it served as an introduction for people to these concepts of BDSM,” says Nico. “It started a conversation, and I think that the problematic parts of that series were really to do with romance and society, not the kink itself.”
TV shows have also nudged people into experimenting with sex toys, such as the Rabbit being featured on Sex And the City. “We also saw a bump from the pegging episode on Broad City,” says Hope. “The only downside about some media are the misconceptions they can promote, such as Kegel Balls giving people instant orgasms. It’s our job to re-educate people.”
Classes have been an important part of Dynamo’s operation. They’ve run seminars with some of the country’s top experts, and they also work with amazing local educators such as Lizxnn Cobalt Chrome. After a year or so’s break due to the pandemic, adult sex ed classes are again on the menu, and although in-person classes are out for now, some exciting Zoom sessions are in the diary for later this month (details below this feature).
COVID times have obviously been a challenge. As the city shut down in March 2020, Dynamo quickly pivoted to a rapid delivery service. The residents of New Orleans were still having sex, after all. “It paid the bills and kept us in people’s minds,” says Nico. “Delivering was actually a fun excuse to drive around town. We saw lots of neighborhoods we hadn’t seen before.”
At the time of writing, Dynamo is open four days per week with up to five customers allowed indoors at a time (masks and distancing required of course). “We love seeing our community again, and we have the best customers in the world,” says Hope. “If anyone needs us, though, we’ll still happily deliver pleasure to people that can’t get out. Also we still have stocks of Plan B and you can get that here, I feel like that’s important to know!” The Plan B is, moreover, free or by donation and is kindly provided by the organization Plan B NOLA.
Some items are less available, though, due mainly to heightened demand during lockdown. “It’s almost impossible to get Fleshlights from wholesalers right now,” says Hope. Thankfully there’s still a treasure trove of fun stuff to choose from at Dynamo, everything from a library of books to leather and fur bunny ears to putty for making clones of your genitals. “My home is now full of candles made in the image of my penis,” smiles Max. Something to keep in mind if you have to buy a gift for that person that has everything?
Whatever your level of experience, your fetish, or your body, Dynamo are a truly great resource. They genuinely care about what they sell and to whom they sell it, and the combination of sincerity, knowledge and excitement to share that knowledge and improve people’s lives via sex is just heartwarming to see. It’s one of those rare, completely uncynical customer experiences. Visit Dynamo: level up your sex life. It’s really that simple.
Dynamo's Toys of the Week!
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Whether it’s a query about the best lube for a specific toy, possible allergies to butt plug materials or the most body-friendly dildo, Dynamo can happily steer customers in the right direction. You know how second-hand car salesman say “What can I do to get you inside a car today?” It’s kind of like that but reversed: what can they do to get a toy inside you today? There’s no hard sell here, though. Again, it’s all about getting over our collective reluctance to communicate our sexual preferences.
People’s shopping habits can definitely be influenced by cultural events. As questionable as the literary or cinematic merits of the Fifty Shades of Grey series are, new horizons opened up for a lot of people afterwards. “Whatever you think about Fifty Shades, it’s good that it served as an introduction for people to these concepts of BDSM,” says Nico. “It started a conversation, and I think that the problematic parts of that series were really to do with romance and society, not the kink itself.”
TV shows have also nudged people into experimenting with sex toys, such as the Rabbit being featured on Sex And the City. “We also saw a bump from the pegging episode on Broad City,” says Hope. “The only downside about some media are the misconceptions they can promote, such as Kegel Balls giving people instant orgasms. It’s our job to re-educate people.”
Classes have been an important part of Dynamo’s operation. They’ve run seminars with some of the country’s top experts, and they also work with amazing local educators such as Lizxnn Cobalt Chrome. After a year or so’s break due to the pandemic, adult sex ed classes are again on the menu, and although in-person classes are out for now, some exciting Zoom sessions are in the diary for later this month (details below this feature).
COVID times have obviously been a challenge. As the city shut down in March 2020, Dynamo quickly pivoted to a rapid delivery service. The residents of New Orleans were still having sex, after all. “It paid the bills and kept us in people’s minds,” says Nico. “Delivering was actually a fun excuse to drive around town. We saw lots of neighborhoods we hadn’t seen before.”
At the time of writing, Dynamo is open four days per week with up to five customers allowed indoors at a time (masks and distancing required of course). “We love seeing our community again, and we have the best customers in the world,” says Hope. “If anyone needs us, though, we’ll still happily deliver pleasure to people that can’t get out. Also we still have stocks of Plan B and you can get that here, I feel like that’s important to know!” The Plan B is, moreover, free or by donation and is kindly provided by the organization Plan B NOLA.
Some items are less available, though, due mainly to heightened demand during lockdown. “It’s almost impossible to get Fleshlights from wholesalers right now,” says Hope. Thankfully there’s still a treasure trove of fun stuff to choose from at Dynamo, everything from a library of books to leather and fur bunny ears to putty for making clones of your genitals. “My home is now full of candles made in the image of my penis,” smiles Max. Something to keep in mind if you have to buy a gift for that person that has everything?
Whatever your level of experience, your fetish, or your body, Dynamo are a truly great resource. They genuinely care about what they sell and to whom they sell it, and the combination of sincerity, knowledge and excitement to share that knowledge and improve people’s lives via sex is just heartwarming to see. It’s one of those rare, completely uncynical customer experiences. Visit Dynamo: level up your sex life. It’s really that simple.
Dynamo's Toys of the Week!
GET FEATURES LIKE THIS IN YOUR INBOX EVERY THURSDAY! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!