How Rochester adult shop promotes sexual health, education for all
An adult boutique in Rochester called Medusas has been bringing a sex-positive outlook to a once-taboo subject, and the partners behind it have their sights set on more community education.
Across the street from the Bug Jar, at 226 Monroe Ave., Medusas has a welcoming vibe. They call their store cat, Tiffany, their HR manager. It is popular with all groups, and Pride month is a huge business season for them.
Kristy Gabel is a nurse practitioner. She owns and runs the store with her business partner, Randy Gill.
Amid the sex toys, fancy underclothing and health products, the pair radiates joy and friendliness. It's unlike the adult boutiques of a generation ago — by design.
Sex into the mainstream in Rochester NY: Store gains fans
"Sex is becoming more of a household conversation now. ... It's more becoming a community thing," said Gill, who is a drug and alcohol counselor. "We got into the adult industry at a very unique time because we're on the precipice of, we're still kind of living in the old world, but there's that new world really seeping in."
It shows in the shop, which caters to all including the LGBTQ+ community. They also embrace the fact that Medusa is a common empowerment symbol used by survivors to mark that they have faced sexual assault.
Just because you open an adult boutique doesn't mean it has to be a hole in the wall where you are nervous walking through the parking lot, they explained. Their business has an elevated and mainstream feel.
"Our store is based on education," Gill said. "People will come in, and they'll be like, 'Is all of this normal? This seems so weird.' Well, we're still in business. I can assure you people are using it.
"So, I think as we change in our culture, people are becoming more aware. This isn't just some seedy thing that people are doing. This is just a normal part of life."
Getting good reviews, this store represents their life savings
The partners rented and renovated the space for more than four months to open in October 2022. They hope to build out the store space a bit more in the future. But what is there now is well-presented in an open space with tall ceilings and two separate, connected rooms.
Each works in the store and another job. "We try to work together on stuff as much as possible, because not knowing all of the working parts of your own business can be a huge downfall with your company," Gill said. He said the store is considering adding a staffer eventually.
They are getting good reviews. A recent five-star review on Google was effusive.
Gabel had saved money from doing travel nursing during COVID. And Gill had been saving, too. So Medusas represents their life savings in action. They both work in the store, with no other employees. Besides the cat.
They work with Trillium's center for sexual wellness and Planned Parenthood. They have hosted a booth at Rochester Museum & Science Center and have done some workshops with a local society.
"It's a space for everybody — it doesn't matter how old you are as long as you are an adult, or what your identity or body shape is," Gabel said. "We're here for the community."
William Ramsey is an editor with the Democrat and Chronicle.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Adult store: How Rochester toy shop promotes sexual health, education
