Tempe, Arizona- The closing of one Tempe adult-oriented shop and the opening of another both happened quietly in recent weeks.
Hustler Hollywood closed the doors to its sole Arizona location at Broadway Road and McClintock Drive May 31. Vice president of retail operations Chris Strom said a poor location that led to little foot traffic and low sales was the reason the clothing store shut down. She said the company worked with a Tempe realtor to pick the spot, located in a vacant strip mall next to a pharmacy. Strom said the other 10 Hustler Hollywood locations across the country are doing well.
“We picked a bad location and that location was not profitable for us,” she said. “We need to be more savvy at picking a better location.”
The Beverly Hills-based company that flaunts the brand made famous by adult-magazine publisher Larry Flynt stirred controversy before its Tempe opening in late 2006. Although the store featured mostly Hustler-inspired clothing and no X-rated videos, residents protested its big red sign and location not far from homes and schools.
Strom said the negative reaction was not a factor in the closure. She said there were fewer than 30 employees at the Tempe location. Strom would not comment on whether the store closed gradually or was shut down suddenly.
In April, Kenneth McCormick opened Adam & Eve at 222 W. Southern Ave., in an older strip mall around the corner from a grocery store, less than three miles from Hustler. McCormick said he hired two former Hustler employees.
The 6,000-square-foot store sells lingerie, bridal and bachelorette party items and adult DVDs. McCormick said the Tempe location is the North Carolina-based chain’s 27th store and also its flagship Arizona location. McCormick said the company would like to open six more in Arizona over the next three years, if all goes well.
McCormick said Adam & Eve has become the largest retailer of adult apparel and novelty items based on its Internet and mail order sales. He said the brick and mortar stores are designed to be female friendly. The X-rated movie section is tucked away and includes many that are produced and written by women to be sensitive to the female and couple audience.
He said he believes the lack of controversy surrounding the store’s opening was due to the store’s layout and company reputation. The shop sits back from the street and its simple Adam & Eve sign is not readily visible from the main thoroughfare.
McCormick said women have come in looking for lingerie or party items for a friend or daughter who is getting married, and are pleasantly surprised and how comfortable they feel.
“Everyone has said that when they walk in, ‘It looks like a high-end store.’ We don’t put the novelties out in front for everyone to see, so they’re not embarrassed,” he said. “We are very pleased with the response we’re getting out here in Arizona.”
McCormick said Tempe’s zoning restrictions for his kind of business were less strict than those in Phoenix, which led to putting the store in Tempe.
The majority of Adam & Eve’s merchandise is bridal items and lingerie ranging in sizes from XS-4X, including lines such as Dream Girls, Shirley of Hollywood and Body Zone. McCormick said 80 percent of his clientele is female, 15 percent couples and 5 percent are single men.
“We are a sex positive store,” he said. “We promote sex between two consenting adults.”
Adam & Eve is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. to midnight Thursday-Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Information: 480-557-0253.