T.O.’s co-op sex shop fits into its new location like prescription diaphragm
We've heard of a lot of dildos before but this is ridiculous!
When Criminal Records closed its doors on the Queen West strip in July, it was seen as another sign of the once-rough stretch turning into an outdoor mall. But instead of another Croc store, co-op sex shop Come As You Are moved east, taking the spot between Urban Outfitters and American Apparel—and still offering forms of vinyl.
The move wasn’t a surprise, based on the “For Lease” sign that decorated the windows of the old location beside the dildos. But it’s still a big move, as Come As You Are uproots from its iconic 701 Queen St. West location, which Feist and Peaches once called home (the apartment above, not the shop itself). But Come As You Are has always been more than a sexy toy store or pit stop for curious teens; the shop emphasizes its location as a sex-positive space and plays an active role in the community. And the move will only help this. Jack Lamon, who has been with the co-op for 10 of its 14 years, noted he was sad to see Criminal go, but says the new location offers “a chance to express our cooperative’s sexual ideals to a larger audience in a bigger space.”
Of course, Come As You Are doesn’t only stand out on the gentrifying strip for what it sells, but also for how it sells. Describing the model as a “little pocket of socialism,” Lamon notes that Come As You Are is “the only sex shop co-op in North America.” The store runs on an owner-worker model, where everyone involved has a chance to buy into the company after a period of time.
This level of investment isn’t only financial but, as co-op member Annanda DeSilva says, you also sign on as an employee planning to stay “for years.” (This is already a major difference from the retail stores in the neighbourhood, which seem to employ a rotating cast of the same 20 people.) But then, nothing about Come As You Are feels ad hoc or unplanned. Taking us through the new store, DeSilva notes that customers fittingly “warm up at the front of the store with the lube” before taking us on to the dildos, Power Games (“bondage” for you vanilla squares who are not familiar with sexy euphemisms), DVDs, and whatever else your curiosities may propel you to look at (like the fleshlights in the back right corner).
After completing the move in one day, Come As You Are and its staff already feel very much like a home. Lamon isn’t surprised. The larger space compliments what Come As You Are has always been on the Toronto sex scene: big, open, and willing to share. “We’ve moved to where everyone always thought we were,” Lamon says of the new location. Which is to say that the space just fits, no lube required.
