Farmingville, NY – from www.sachem.patch.com – For over 20 years, Xpressions: The Entertainment Store for Today’s Adult has provided an eclectic business on North Ocean Avenue in Farmingville.
Like the rest of the country and its businesses, the adult industry has taken a financial hit. Xpressions operates four other stores in Lindenhurst, Oakdale, Farmingdale and Hempstead.
Sachem Patch recently spoke with Bryan M., the store manager in Farmingville, who has worked at that location – the biggest on the Island – for nearly 10 years.
Sachem Patch: During the recession, has there been a drop in business in the adult entertainment industry?
Bryan M.: The adult stores in general do get affected, but with our store we try to be a little more user friendly. We have sales people that assist customers. There is a one-on-one approach that makes a difference instead of a smaller mom and pop shop. Half our store is lingerie and clothing, which also helps.
SP: How much has the adult shop business been affected by the Internet and movies and paraphernalia readily available online?
BM: In terms of DVDs absolutely, it has a huge affect. Toys not so much. A lot of times it’s hard to see what it’s like. They tend to come in for novelty items.
SP: What has been the best selling genre of items at your store?
BM: Novelties.
SP: Is there ever marketing done for adult shops, or is it all walk-in, word-of-mouth traffic?
BM: We have ads in magazines like Full Throttle, local newspapers, WRCN radio. We have run commercials on Lifetime television and other networks. It’s a hard thing to measure how much that marketing really makes a difference. We still do it, but we don’t really know the overall affect of it.
SP: What’s the average age demographic that walks in?
BM: The last couple of years it’s been increasingly women in their 30s and 40s. Ten years ago it was middle aged men. It’s how we diversify the products that we carry and the type of sales people we have. We’re catered more towards women.
SP: Do all of the Xpressions shops follow a similar corporate layout or is it based on each manager’s identity with the store?
BM: Each store has its own identity in terms of the managers aesthetic preference. We’re all across the board bright and friendly.