New Sex Toy Store in Alabama
 

Hey guys my niece and nephew are looking at building a new store in Alabama because the nephew got caught up in $ signs by a store owner in their town. The nephew is coming into a heft chunk of change and thinks the adult sex toy store will be a good investment in Alabama. These kids have zero experience owning/managing anything because the kid just turned 18 and just had a child a couple months ago. I am trying to help them out by giving them my experience in the adult industry and would like anybody elses input as well as to why they do not need to go sink a bunch of money into a store.
I told them to put a chunk like $10-15k into a very nice online store with all the latest toys and someone to run it for them. That way they can see how hard it will be without spending many times that. Then they would a lot of capital for buying traffic and small inventory required by some vendors. I have found them several news stories about shops that are being hassled by the local government and one is the owner of the store he talked to. Thanks for your time and I hope to have some of the people who have dealt in Alabama.

I would stay away from brick and mortar business unless you've already run one. Point them out to their local library.

I sank over 50k into a video game store and I actually had the stock to run one. I lost my whole life savings.

I like spending 10 bucks on a domain and five minutes to throw up a Mallcom store.

I spent over a decade running adult bookstores, and that side of the business is hurting even worse than online sales. DVD's and magazine sales are almost non existent anymore, and those were staples of porn stores for years. You are also going to find it damn near impossible to open a new store in a good location, since most cities zoning regulations don't allow for new adult businesses except for industrial areas and blighted, extremely high crime parts of town.

Then throw in the fact that if the city gets a hard on for you the amount of money you will shell out in attorney fees, just to stay open, will eat through whatever profits you are making quickly.

One of the only ways to make an adult bookstore work in these times is to find a location that is visible off a major highway and that offers parking for semi trucks, since the truck drivers still frequently patronize adult bookstores, but again good luck finding that location unless you purchase an existing adult business.

Then again, if the kid is only 18 he isn't going to listen to anything you say...

From what I know I'm pretty sure it's illegal to sell dildoes in alabama

I wouldn't star any brick business unless it involves selling something that is a human necessity like food. Anything you can get online you should stay away from.

A strip club would be a much better investment.

An adult cake making business would be a nice small start up.

Good point ... Also imagine the amount of butt-plugs that have to be sold just to cover, utilities, rent, insurance.


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The first thing your niece and nephew better look into is a lawyer a sex toy store in AL will land them in jail most likely. If they have the capital and can fight it they might win.

If thats the case Id go with a high end franchise maybe Adam and Eve, expect the entry to be about 150-200K realistically but adam and eve will be very goosd about helping them get set up

forget the morons here telling you to open a mallcom store or whatever...it isnt the same business at all. I would suggest they have at least a modicum of retail store management experience.

They also want to look at the demographics of the area they plan to locate in

LOL! Hey!

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another thing to look for if you don't have a lot of capitol is to look for a place that has an apartment as part of the business. a friend of mine has a video game store with an apartment on the second story and he's doing well.

Thanks for all your comments I think legal advice is probably the best advice for them at the moment.

Your lawyer will tell you to head out pf the state guaranteed.

That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
Unless you have MILLIONS .. deep pockets .. don't you dare try to start a sex business in the middle of fucking ALABAMA .. for fuck sakes over in TX they arrest you for even owning a sex toy ..

Of course try to tell this to a fucking kid and good fucking luck
I know first hand from experience when I was FIFTEEN I was making more than most of you do NOW I even had a house at that age and now I'm doomed. . . having money when you're young is bad news
Believe me
And you won't tell them SHIT
When I had money piling up all over the place everyone told me I needed something brick & mortar.. something solid .. did I listen .. NO I was barely 20

Have them email me and I'll introduce them to a lady that has three stores in Alabama. She can tell them what to expect and what state laws will be a problem. Tell them to be sure and get a good attorney to review the zoning and permits to be sure all is in order.

My toys outsold the DVDs at one of my stores last week. Damn, a new first.

sgrief at aaanews.com

Have you tried selling those prepaid adult cards from Brad Gosse or from Saturn?
How do they sell, pretty good?

I have a quarter pusher in a local sex shop, lady has fifteen stores, wondering if it'd be worth my time to pitch the cards to her?

I agree 100%. How about the kid pays me $5,000 talk him out of it and he can keep from losing $100k or more later on.

18 ... ugh ... to be fucking retarded again.

There's no way you can talk him out of this ... but you should try. He's going to fuck it up ... I'm 10 years older than him and I'd probably fuck it up too. He has no idea what he's getting into. Sink that $100k into an education or a good domain and some traffic ;)

Despite a ton of pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the heart of the tourist district, good friends of ours are closing their adult store in Niagara Falls this week, in fact.

Mostly due to slumping sales - people just aren't buying adult merch as much as in the past. And they stock good quality product (not the junkie garbage that most shops cater to).

I wouldn't consider a bricks 'n mortar storefront these days - especially when I see others that potentially should have done well...fail.

His first step should be to take some of that money and get the fuck out of Alabama. :2 cents:

Alabama just isn't getting a lot of love here. Whatever could be the reason? <sarcasm>

Hope it'll be a good decision in the end.Should be a lot of options there.

I live in Alabama and I can tell you the sex stores here make a killing....be careful though...their are loopholes that current ones use

i believe you are right
better check
but a woman pleasuring herself
with something other than her husband's dick is a crime in BAMA

you get around the illegal issue of selling sex toys in alabama by having a sign that says "all items in store sold for novelty or medical use"

Starting an online sex toy store is not going to work, unless you sell paddles made out of tires or stuff. And even then, you will have a hard time making a living from it.
You need to go with the flow.
Sell sex toys on amazon.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Why do people think a sex store is a good business? I've seen it happen so many times, and seen so many people fail after losing everything and wasting years of their life...

if he wants to open/run a strip club instead, hit me up on ICQ. I wouldn't mind a scenery change an I have 3 solid years experience running clubs and am familiar with everything from door to GM positions.

I know nothing about sex toy selling but from the looks of this thread, it would be like him digging his own financial grave.

A strip club is a bit more pricey (furnishing, liquor license) but could make a lot more money monthly.

Born & raised in Alabama. Word of advice: Don't do it. You WILL end up in jail and have all your shit confiscated at least once. Can you afford that hit?

Under the assumption that he'll actually get zoning approval! LOL.

I would not open an adult store of any kind in Alabama. No matter where you open a store get a lawyer. Brick and mortar stores are very complicated to open from a legal perspective.

WOW thanks everyone I have sent this thread to my sister in law to show to my niece and show them what they are getting into.
I appreciate everyone chiming in and this has been a very mature discussion :)
Jon Oso I will pass on the info I was thinking he should open one of those too from what I have read its easier to open a strip club in Al than open a sextoy store LOL.

There is no way in hell he is going to get at liquor license at 18, though, and trust me, you don't want to put the liquor license in someone else's name...

Another excellent point DOH!! I didnt even think about that. And his Fiance is only 18 as well so shes out.
I could do a lot with $100k :)