Over at mopornnorthampton, we noticed someone asking, now that Capital Video has removed viewing booths from its proposal, how does someone distinguish it from a “sensuality store” like Oh My, which NPN has indicated it has no objection to.
We agree this is a judgment call. As reported in a 2006 article in The Republican, “Oh My! is one of a handful of sex shops in the country owned by women, and Carol and Beth use the term ‘woman-run’ to define their store’s holistic approach to sensuality…. ‘We’re not orgasm-fixated; the emphasis is on feeling pleasure,’ explains Carol, who encourages customers, especially women, to learn about their bodies’ needs…. Besides presenting an extensive bazaar of sexual aides, Carol and Beth offer their woman-run store as an information center for women, men, and couples.”
We feel Oh My’s approach to sexuality is healthy and comforting. Carol Gesell, who runs the store with her daughter Beth Meyers, relates the story of “a man whose wife had a lowered sex drive after pregnancy, leading Carol to help him research his wife’s possible hormonal and psychological conditions…. What impressed Carol was how the man ‘was not just thinking about the ‘boom-boom,’ but really wanted to understand his wife’s situation.'”
Oh My’s attitude and track record as a good neighbor stand in complete contrast to the despairing fare on offer at Capital Video and its websites. For example, Capital Video promotes the movie Deviant Housewives: “In this world nothing lasts forever and it looks like Kelly Erikson’s husband Van needs some space. Kelly decides to invite all her friends going thru the same problems to stay and support each other. But all of Kelly’s friends have an empty void in their lives they need filled and it’s from a younger man!”
We also believe that the owners of Oh My have not paid huge sums of cash to a capo in the Gambino family, nor have they battled a small town to keep from improving the health and safety of porn viewing booths.
As a final difference to consider, we have noticed that Capital Video tends to display the URL of one of its websites, Amazing.net, prominently on its stores. The picture below is of their Springfield store. Have a look at the kinds of movies sold at Amazing.net. “Woman-friendly” does not come to mind.