BLUSH just opened its doors last Saturday. The intimate pleasure store — situated at Hamraborg 5 — is decorated in a minimalist style, highlighting a range of quality sex toys. After five years of success with her online shop, owner Gerður Huld Arinbjarnardóttir decided to get more personal with her customers by opening a store.
Gerður emphasises letting her clients feel as comfortable as possible.
“The mission is not to have posters or mannequins of naked women here,” she told us. “I prefer calling it an intimate pleasure store because the focus is on intimacy.”
She made the windows blurry so people can’t see customers inside, and the modest decorations don’t make you feel like you’re in a stereotypical sex store. The location also helps ensure that there are no walk-in customers. “I don’t think Icelanders would be ready for that yet.”
When asking her why she started the business she laughs, saying: “By coincidence. When a friend showed me her sex toy, I wanted one, too.”
“The attitude towards sex stores is becoming more open in Iceland. People are less shy about these things than before,” she says. “People were thirsty for more information on how to use different toys”.
That’s why she uses Snapchat (blush.is) in addition to the personal contact the store offers. With over 10,000 followers she connects with the customers and explains how to use different sex toys in a fun and personal way.
What sets hers apart from similar stores is that she only sells rechargeable toys. “I don’t even sell batteries,” she says laughing.
Because she’s been doing this for 5 years, she knows everything there is to know about these toys. The Womaniser (pictured below) is now the most popular one.
“When I got [the Womaniser], I wasn’t excited about it at all but after having tried it I immediately sent the retailer an e-mail saying ‘Oh my god! Send me a 100 pieces!’”
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