The LoveWorks adult store idea began around 1979, as adult store began to transition to nicer, more upscale lingerie, gift and novelty boutiques. The LoveWorks concept centered around a female-friendly store, that was well-lit, inviting, and in a safe geographic environment. The stores are designed to be very well-lit, and cater to a majority female clientele.
It wasn’t until 1989 that the concept moved from “idea stage” to the actual planning of a “real store”. I immediately filed to register the name “LoveWorks®”, as well as the logo. It was a proud moment to receive the official documents showing that the name belonged to me and that no other stores would be named LoveWorks in the USA.
In 1991, I opened the first store in a 1200 square foot suite in the back of a large shopping center. I believe they rented to LoveWorks because the space was hidden behind a larger store and not visible from the street (does anyone remember the “Clothestime” store?). More than 90% of the floor space was devoted to lingerie, dance wear and other apparel.
These advertisements were placed in 1992 in local papers.
The lingerie ad was scandalous. I “redeemed our dignity” with the BodyWorks ad promoting aerobic wear, something that has not been in the LoveWorks product mix for 25 years. At the time though, it was a hot item. Aerobic wear back then compared to “yoga pants” of 2022!
Over the years, the product mix continued to change and evolve. Lingerie and dance wear, although an important part of store sales, no longer occupied a majority of floor space. Customers began asking for lotions and oils, and personal lubricants, and LoveWorks began adding these items to the store, indirectly transitioning toward the concept of an adult store.
I say indirectly, because we were still restricted by law and were prohibited from being an “adult store”. Thankfully, lubes, lotions, oils, novelties, gag gifts, etc. — are all considered NON-adult items.
In 1998, getting “Online” was all the buzz! LoveWorks registered the domain “loveworks.com“, and immediately created an “online store”, with operations based in Las Vegas, NV. From Nevada, we began shipping everything from lubes, to massage oils, to the largest and heaviest sex toys! To put this “time in history” in perspective — Google went online in 1997, and Target didn’t sell online until 1999.
To this day, loveworks.com provides provides a direct link into the stores. Items may be ordered online and picked up within an hour; or shipped direct-to-home.
The online store has all the same quality products you will see when walking in a store. The website includes in-depth product descriptions, product reviews written by trained store employees, and the same guarantee you’ll find in the stores. Whether customers buy online or visit a store, LoveWorks makes sure you have access to the years of knowledge of amazing employees.
Also at this time, sexual devices (aka: “Sex Toys”) were considered to be illegal (to be sold in stores) in the state of Louisiana. LoveWorks continued to expand its selection by adding greeting cards, gag gifts, novelty items, and a very limited selection of massagers (described above!), that would keep the store in line with all legal requirements. It amazes me to think that LoveWorks stocked over 1000 greeting card styles during that time!
As I update this in 2022, another store owner referred to me as an “industry dinosaur”. And, although true, it made me think back to what this dinosaur had to do in order to stay in business.
The “Sexual Devices Law” and “Obscene Devices Law” had multiple tests used to determine if an item was “sexual” and therefore against the law. One of the most important was how the item was marketed. If the item mentioned sex in any way on the package, or the employee mentioned a sexual usage — it was against the law.
At the time, our main supplier of “massagers” (we were not allowed to call them vibrators), was an old company named “BenWa” out of California. They sold a handful of “massagers” in brown boxes, with no other writing or pictures except the medical warning “Do not use on unexplained calf pain”. Sadly I can’t find any pictures of those non-descript boxes that were shipped to the store by the GROSS (144 at a time).
Our other supplier was the well-known “Pipedreams” who supplied us with TWO rubber dongs and TWO butt plugs.
We removed all of the sales material and descriptions from the package and relabeled the dongs as “The Ultimate Paperweight — the gift that needs NO Explanation”. It was available in small and large, and was packaged in a clear clam shell.
The two butt plugs had the same fate and were relabeled as “Blow Out Preventers — A new solution to an OLD problem!” Everyone in the “oil patch” of southern Louisiana knew what a blow out preventer was, and that added to both the sales — and the laughter — in the store.
In May of 2000, the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned the “Sexual Devices Law” opening the door for many new and exciting products to be added to LoveWorks stores in Louisiana. I immediately developed “Sex Toy University” to train employees about the thousands of new items being added to the product line.
Even today, all employees must complete and master the training offered in each store, which consists of many hours of video training, tests on product knowledge, and shadowing a senior employee until they master the unique job of working in LoveWorks.
However, I still wasn’t able to sell sex toys in Texas, because Texas had the same legal restrictions, preventing me from selling some of the newest and greatest sex toy items on the market. In 2008, the Texas law was overturned, allowing the Texas store to add many new items as well. As in Louisiana, Texas employees were enrolled and “schooled” on the thousands of new toys, lubes and lotions added.
Adult video is regulated by local jurisdictions, and is not available in all stores. Today’s stores are 3-5 times larger than the first store, and carry thousands of products.
LoveWorks adult stores still caters to a majority female clientele and is proud to be a Louisiana company.
LoveWorks — because it does.
The “naughty area” of the first store
