There's a pop-up sex shop inside a bar in Parkdale

Did you know that way in the rear of Three Dollar Bill, past the booze, beyond the back patio and through a set of pinkish, welcoming, vulva-esque curtains there’s an inclusive sex shop?

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When exploring Parkdale’s busy queer bar and community space we found ourselves in this cozy little shack of sexual gadgets and doo-dads, where an entire wall opens up to the foot traffic of the back lane and a sign says in a sweet sort of pink: Good for Her.
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Is this the new home for the popular feminist/ethical/inclusive sex shop formerly located on Harbord Street? We caught up with Good for Her’s new owner Rosalie Ludlow-Macbeth to ask, 'what the dildo-strewn heck is going on here?'

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YOHOMO:  What is happening and how did this happen?  

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Rosalie Ludlow-Macbeth: Well, we’re selling sex toys! Good for Her has been running online for the past year and I think our customers will agree when I say this, it’s just so much better to connect in-person. So when Three Dollar Bill approached us to be their first tenant in their new pop-up space and it was an offer we couldn’t refuse, obviously.

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‍How has it been going at the pop up? Who do you hope finds the pop-up?

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It’s been really great actually! Of course a queer bar with a sex shop in the back is a natural and beautiful marriage - Friday and Saturday nights especially have been really fun. But I hope our customers, old and new, who need the most support and information find us. Since 1997 we’ve been known for two things; warm and judgment-free customer service, and workshops. Both are back in this new space.

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What's in the shack? What do you do there?

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Well considering it’s a small space I had to be selective about what I brought in. So I brought the top sellers in vibes, dildos, butt toys, penis toys, lubes, condoms, etc etc. The shack itself is just a little too small for holding 10-20 people so the workshops themselves happen in the main space of Three Dollar Bill.

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What are your hours at the pop-up?

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Monday - closed. Tuesday & Wednesday 1pm-6pm, Thursday 1pm-8pm, Friday & Saturday 3pm-10pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm. September 30th will be our last day in the space (and we’re already lamenting over not seeing our TDB friends every day </3).

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Is there anything you'd especially like to promote?

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On September 24th we will be hosting a fundraiser for Good for Her called “Wet Dreams” where Parkdale’s own Neon Dreamer, a highly skilled and hilarious psychic (who I personally have been a fan of for years), will be doing live sex and relationship readings for bold audience volunteers. Performances, raffles, drink specials, and a dance party will all be part of this steamy night, too.

Other than that, we also have a binder program where you can access very gently used binders either for free or at a greatly discounted price. And any binders that are dropped off for donation go to youth programs within our city working to provide gender affirming care to those having difficulties accessing it.

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What comes next for Good for Her after the pop-up?

 
The aforementioned fundraiser will go directly to getting us back into a full-time brick and mortar location after we’re done with our summer pop-up at Three Dollar Bill. It has been my dream-come-true coming to own this business and my dedication to keep it going is steadfast and immense, I have seen (and experienced) the power sex-positive education and support has in transforming lives and society and so to put it simply, Good for Her 2.0 is just getting started.

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Is there anything else you'd like to add?

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Stay sexy and Free Palestine.

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Photos by Ashley Senja