Crack

In Woody Allen’s 1973 film The Sleeper protagonist Miles Monroe slips into a coma and is cryogenically frozen after a routine check up at the doctors. He wakes up in 2173 an alien land where sex is no longer an intimate experience between two individuals but an experience shared in The Orgasmatron, a machine that simulates the feelings without you having to touch another person - or even take your clothes off.

Now we are a long way from 2173 but in some way it feels as though our attitudes towards sex haven’t really progressed for a long time, if anything they’ve retrogressed since the free loving of the swinging sixties. Crack got the opportunity to meet up with the owner of the latest addition to Bristol’s shopping experience Pomegranate Erotic Boutique.

Based on Park Street and nestled in between some of the higher end shops it seems a bit of a strange, but certainly provocative choice for location (introduce Amy). “Location was really important; it’s very much what Park Street needs, I think. You’ve obviously got the not so friendly shops down in Old Market, I thought Gloucester Road might be too edgy and Cabot Circus is too expensive. Park Street is the perfect location, it ticks all the boxes."

The shop looks great – with deep red walls and bespoke furniture, it’s classy, well presented and fits into the Park street aesthetic well. Amy explains: “I got the inspiration from other shops really, I mean Coco de Mare is a beautiful shop, very high end, but only very rich people can shop there and, fundamentally that’s not very fair. Then there is a shop called Sh! Which is a very female oriented. Their ethos is men are only allowed in if accompanied by a woman. We welcome all people. Pomegranate has a premium feel to it, but there are 40,000 students in Bristol and so obviously I wanted a price that was appropriate for them.”

And so how has Bristol reacted to the opening of what is essentially a sex shop on Park Street? Amy explains: “People’s attitudes to sex is really interesting, when you put boards (in the windows) no one comes in. People presume that it’s scary or deviant, and some people say the toy table is too close to the window and are worried about being seen. It’s hard to get the balance right. Some people rush over to the toy table and are really open about their sex life and some will walk past and not even glance over. It is definitely different from one to the next.”

Amy also thinks there are a couple of erotic shops in Bristol that have just missed the mark in regards to marketing themselves to women. “I think there is a growing trend with shops like Pomegranate. The government are thinking of changing the licensing for sex shops anyone ‘encouraging sexual activity’ has to have a licence; it just sounds like we’re going back to the age of chastity belts and stuff. It seems a massive step backwards in regards to how we as a nation view sex. I think it’s a shame especially for a independent businesses like Pomegranate. I’m sure Ann Summers have in house lawyers who can fight that but we just couldn’t afford it”

One thing that is really interesting about Pomegranate is the attitude is as eco-friendly as possible. In an age where the done thing is to reduce, reuse and recycle, when it comes to the bedroom for some reason people just seem to forget these things – its not like sex and recycling go hand in hand. When researching for the shop, Amy found out about phthalates; a chemical used in many different products to soften plastic. One product that phthalates are commonly found in are sex toys. Research into phthalates suggests prolonged exposure to the chemical can lead to some serious health risks, including cancer. The chemical can also mimic your body’s natural hormone pattern, which is obviously not a good thing.

This is an issue that concerns Amy: “As I was reading (about phthalates), I came to the conclusion I wouldn’t use them personally, so logically I wouldn’t sell them in my shop. I’m dubious about coming across as fear selling, and creating a sense of “you must buy this because everything else is bad for you.” That’s not what I want, but I think it’s definitely a good thing to raise awareness and allow people to make an informed decisions, that’s really what I’m after. So many women just don’t realise all the information is out there; you can Google it!

Pomegranate sells only phthalate free toys as well as organic lube and runs a recycling programme called re-vibe. Not that they have had anything sent in yet – “its European legislation that if you sell electrical goods you have to take responsibility for what you’re selling that’s fair but may be slightly weird when we do get some back!”

What is brilliant about Pomegranate is there is clearly a lot of thought put into it the store and the products. Amy explains: “We spent quite a lot of time looking at the different stages in relationships; from single girl/boy, to new relationships, to the engaged couples and followed the relationship through. We wanted to be able to reflect where people in their lives and cater for them; for example we have one gift box called ‘First Time Kinky’, for people who just want to try it and see what it’s like. We just want to make it easy for people to make choices and you can always take stuff out or add something else to the boxes.”

Bizarrel,y no one was that surprised when Amy decided to open an erotic boutique. “I’ve always been a little bit out there. It was a little bit awkward telling mum and dad, but it went really well. My mum came down two weeks before the shop opened and helped me out – I never would have opened on time without her!”

So it seems Pomegranate is finding its feet in Bristol and what’s the next step? “The first three Thursdays in December we’re going to have a Santa’s grotto, so you can decide whether you’re going to be a good girl or bad girl.” The shop is also available for private shopping. Amy’s even thinking of getting hair stylists and manicurists make it a really indulgent girly night of shopping.

She also has other plans for the future: “Then after Christmas we’ll be looking forward to the January sales and then Valentine’s Day. I’m also giving free condoms to students! I’ve got some condoms for 50p in the shop, so if you don’t want to fork out £12 for a 3 pack of Durex then you can pick up a couple from the shop”

“We’re also thinking of doing a pop up shop outside Clifton Heights over the Christmas period We could set it up 11-2 when all people from offices are out for lunch, a perfect opportunity to pick up a Christmas present!”

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Words: Lucinda Bounsall

http://pomegranateboutique.myshopify.com/


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