Oakland – from www.nsrc.sfsu.edu/ – Nenna Joiner [pictured] is opening FeelMore510, a high-visibility erotic boutique engineered with people of color in mind in Downtown Oakland.

I met Nenna about four years ago in San Francisco. I had grand ideas about a sex-positive, sexy vodcast, and she had the film production expertise to make it happen. We went to a breakfast spot in the Tenderloin, and she unfurled her vision for Feelmore510 (before it was even FeelMore510) back then. Nenna is what most people would call “intimidatingly hot” and a power house. So, I tried to maintain focus while she laid it out for me over french toast. Today I call her on her cell, and she’s in her shop putting the finishing touches on the place.

Virgie Tovar: What’s your vision for FeelMore510?

Nenna: It’s one of transparency in the community and inclusion of those who have traditionally been shut out of the high-end adult retail industry. Those who have been excluded will be part of the scheme of things.

I don’t just think of it as “oh, I’m opening an adult store.” It’s more than that. If you want to come into my shop, you’re going to have to lift the veil off who you are. You’ve got to buy in an open space because the windows aren’t frosted.

For the kids in the area, who are predominantly people of color, they get to see a woman of color who owns her own business. They get to see a person of color not getting kicked out by larger retailers. I’m from their community. I’m from their church. I go to church with a lot of these kids and parents. I’m hoping to elongate the community standard of having your own and being your own for your community and being part of the community cycle of lifting and supporting.

Virgie: Why a shop that focuses on people of color?

Nenna: I think one of the larger problems with the high-end industry is that it doesn’t include people of color at the novelty level. In terms of toys and products certain ethnicities and backgrounds are not a forethought. There are more people of color in adult videos, but if you see packaging for adult novelties there are predominantly white people on it. The only thing that gets on the black and brown side is the dildo.

The adult industry has trained us to just come into a store and look for products. If you’re not a person of color, you’re going to look for a vanilla dildo, something comparable to your skin. Now that novelties have stepped away from ethnicity with, for example, pink vibrators, how do you still prioritize making it inclusive?

Virgie: How is FeelMore510 going to impact communities of color in Oakland?

Nenna: For communities that have issues with open sexuality, you have people with difficulties coming into a sex shop or asking questions. I asked myself: How do you make those that haven’t been traditionally included, how do you make them part of a movement? The adult industry is not investing in education for people of color. In Oakland, for example, there are high numbers of HIV infections. I’m looking to bridge the gap between agencies in San Francisco that don’t traditionally come to the East Bay and get that information out here. I looked at my community and I saw a gap. What I’m doing in my community is what we should all be doing – looking around and seeing what our community needs. I don’t call what I’m selling toys. I call them intimacy products. This is going to be a safe space, where the traditional model isn’t followed.

One of the things I’m looking for are products that promote a healthy sense of community and self for any individual. Not carrying titles that are disparaging. Carrying items that upon first exposure will make the person feel included and not like they’re falling into a stereotype, having a broad spectrum of what ethnicity and sex looks like in the sex industry. You should see representations of yourself in literature, in greeting cards, and in the products.

Some of the things I’m doing are around marketing, and having a marketing strategy that includes people of color for people of color who are going to be putting this on their body.

Virgie: What were the challenges in opening FeelMore510?

Nenna: Being a person of color who wants to be an owner. I don’t know many people of color owning their own store. I’d like to know who they are. You’re not finding many stores in urban areas with high traffic from people of color.

During market research I heard: “oh, there’s so many of those. The city isn’t going to let you open.”I couldn’t go to a bank. Banks won’t loan money for sex shops. I had to use my own funds. It makes it hard. I had to freelance. I had to place myself into the ocean and learn how to swim. I knew that being an educated person with numerous years of experience in corporate America, that I was risking all of that to have influence in a community.

And DVDs are dying. Kindle is coming. What are you doing to do? That cuts into your DVD and book share. Walmart and Target are getting into the industry. I feel as though with the whole movement for the novelty section getting away from what vibes used to look like – that these things look ambiguous until you turn them on – it supports the mainstream retail industry to come in and take a market segment from the adult industry. Even with condoms going from behind the counter to the front of the counter, and lube doing the same, it’s setting a trend. You now have a Wal-Mart or Kmart carrying these items. You’re going to continue to see the mainstreaming of these things..

Virgie: Why do you think people of color had not been marketed to in the adult novelty industry?

Nenna: I have no idea. We’ve been encouraged to be in front of but not behind the camera. Affirmative Action doesn’t exist in this industry.

Virgie: What’s your relationship with the Downtown Oakland community?

Nenna: I’m next to a school – the Oakland School of the Arts – and an organization that serves youth. The school and the organization have high numbers of people of color, and I want them to know that I’m not hiding behind a wall. I’m not in an alley. I’m telling these youth-centered organizations that I am able to come in and communicate with your students and be an asset to the community.

Virgie: Other projects in the works?

Nenna: I’ve done Sugar In the Raw (erotic art exhibits that feature people of color behind and before the camera). I’m going to be part of the Oakland Art Murmur. I’m going to have art pieces inclusive of people of color that can be showcased over 1 month versus 1 day, which was what was happening before. As I was putting the shows together, I started to find that artists did a lot of work in erotic art, and I saw the need in my community for opportunities to showcase it. In FeelMore510, I have a gallery space, a meeting space, and this is all in a space within an urban community where people of color predominantly walk the street.

Virgie: How long have you had the FeelMore510 dream?

Nenna: It’s been over 5 years since I’ve had this vision. I had to figure out how to stay involved in the community while I figure out how to make this happen. What tools do I have that I can use to really excel? I took my film and photography background and used that to stay in the community and be an asset and be an inspiration to others who want to do more in their community.

Virgie: What makes FeelMore510 unique?

Nenna: If you come and see the place you’ll definitely know that it’s different. I believe I have some of the old and I also have my own new thing . My community is here, where I’m located there aren’t many retail spaces around here. I would call myself one of the few corner stores selling products, selling something very cutting edge. I want to be that retail shop when people think about downtown Oakland. When people ask “what’s open at 10pm at night? Where can we shop?” they’ll think of my shop.

Virgie: What are you looking forward to?

Nenna: I’m looking forward to having fun, creating something new and different. It was very hard to find someone who would share their business experience and expertise and I’d like to be that support for people, even if I never hear from them. Being in the adult industry, what I’ve heard is “my parents didn’t support me.” You don’t tell your community about your sexuality because they might disown you. I’m still in prayer, in support, whether I meet you or I never do, I support you.