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issue 1 . Spring 1998
Our Grand Opening
The official grand opening for Venus Envy is Saturday, June 6, from 11AM until 8PM. There will be a 10% discount on everything in the store for the entire day, the coffee and cake is on us, and there will be a free workshop: "Alternative Menstrual Care." Anne Marie Long will be offering her expertise on such products as reusable menstrual pads, the Keeper and sea sponges. This seminar starts at 4PM and lasts about one hour with a question and answer period at the end. Please call 422-0004 to register for our limited amount of space.Other workshops are planned for the near future including the "Power of Intimacy" with Jan Morrison and "Addressing Issues of Gender" with Alana Thompson. Check the schedule at the store or on the net for dates and full description.
The Art and the Artists
Venus Envy is excited and proud to present three local artists who we'll be exhibiting for the next two months. Hanna Gillam is presently exhibiting four of her watercolors at Venus Envy. Hanna also makes cards and teaches art classes.. Caitlin Pelletier attends NSCAD and designed our fabulous mosaic ceramic tile floor along with exhibiting her acrylic paintings, Caitlin is selling her handmade gift wrap and writing paper in the store. Enid Schaller also attends NSCAD and is currently exhibiting her self portrait done in graphite on mayfair. Enid is also part of a group show exhibiting her landscape photography at the Anna Leonowens Gallery on Granville Street from June 16 until June 20. Venus Envy is presently looking for other local artists for their next exhibition in July; please call or come to the store if you are interested.And yes, the art is for sale! Just ask about availability and prices.
Local Products, Local Artisans
At Venus Envy we try our best to carry products made locally. At the present we sell reusable menstrual pads by Packrat, a company specializing in making beautiful and usable products out of recycled material. Packrat also makes secret pillows, throw pillows covered in velvet, fun fur or cotton with a secret compartment perfect for love letters, toys or perhaps a leather and stud wrist restraint made by B-Girl Leather.B-Girl Leather produces high quality restraints, suspenders, belts, collars, leashes and watch bands. B-Girl leather will produce your special order in less than two weeks at a very reasonable price, so let your imagination go and call in your order at 422-0004.
All of our Aromatherapy oils, moisturizers, atomizers and soaps are hand-crafted by Carte Blanche of Halifax. Carte Blanche also produces one of a kind note cards, each one unique and beautiful.
Voice of Budda candles are produced in small batches creating unique candles at reasonable prices.
The inspiration for the Venus Envy logo came from Cindy Sea's hemp and clay Goddesses. Cindy's handmade necklaces represent the ancient goddess figure and come in a variety of colors and sizes.
There are many more locally crafted products and the number is increasing all the time. Check out the store for new arrivals.
Sex Toys, sure...but why Silicone?
Silicone. It's not exactly what you might think of as a sensual or erotic material. Silicone sex toys, however, are the new wave in personal pleasure; in fact, most purveyors of fine adult products suggest using nothing but silicone. Traditionally, toys have been made out of plastic, wood, jelly (latex), rubber and leather (not to mention the widespread but unofficial use of housewares and produce). Making silicone toys is a time-consuming endeavour, and the material itself is of a very high quality. These two issues make for a relatively expensive end product. Silicone toys are usually equipped with higher-end motors and other internal components, so you get better quality for your higher price.So why silicone? It absorbs body heat and retains this warmth for a relatively long time, making for a more natural and comfortable feel. It's also flexible yet firm, giving it a much more pleasing texture than the hard feel of most plastic toys. Silicone is non-porous and therefore does not absorb odours and bacteria; this also means that a little lube goes a long way. This is the best material for toys that you're going to share, as silicone can also be boiled for up to six minutes to kill any nasty bacteria hanging around on the surface. Just try boiling that cheap plastic thing you got five years ago and see what happens.
Silicone toys are generally hand-crafted, and come in an interesting array of colours, shapes and sizes. This is one area of the sex toy trade dominated by women, which has resulted in woman-friendly design. This has meant, in part, a move away from "realistic" dildos and vibrators. For instance, one of the most popular models on the market is a smiling dolphin available in a rainbow of colours including violet and yellow. More and more women are purchasing their own toys and choosing to please themselves with designs built for clitoral stimulation as opposed to traditional and all-too-often ho hum penetrative stimulation. Considering that a woman's most sensitive area is the clitoris and, for those who skipped sex ed, the clitoris is not inside the vagina but rather sits at the top of the vulva, penetration is not necessarily where it's at.
So next time you're out scouting for a little something to light up your nights, skip the hard plastic bargain-basement jobby and treat yourself to some real quality.
[A version of this article will appear in Brink magazine June 1. Brink is a locally published national lifestyle and culture magazine. Venus Envy carries a full line of silicone toys including the vibrating dolphin, brightly colored ben wa balls and Venus-shaped dildos.]
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