- Why did Searah start Early to Bed? As she notes, "Because of my own frustrations with sex toy shops in Chicago in the late '90s."
- She's interested in helping women become knowledgeable about their own bodies and working through issues of dissatisfaction in their sex lives.
- She strives to make sex new and exciting for customers, with mutual satisfaction and comfort, so sex and relationships are happy rather than stressful.
- She looks to get to know each customers individual situation to genuinely help them rather than simply sell products.
- Her main recommendation for a great sexual experience? "Be your own best lover"; she believes women especially need to explore their own bodies and their own sexual responses.
- Why is masturbation is so important to her? It's the power behind self-pleasure, as this helps in communicating your needs to your partner.
- She recommends taking various workshops (such as Early to Bed's blowjob workshop) to help create a mutually beneficial experience for both partners.
- What is Early to Bed working on? Workshops on less-discussed but important topics, such as cunnilingus.
More on what we talked about:
More about Searah:Frustrated with the lame sex toy scene in her hometown, Searah Deysach, with help from her friends and family, opened Chicago’s first woman-owned, education-focused sex shop, Early to Bed (early2bed.com) in 2001.
Now Searah spends her days spreading the good word about sex-positivity and the joys of masturbation through her store, writings and a busy schedule of talks at local community groups and colleges around the country. She was the sex columnist for (the now defunct) Punk Planet Magazine and has a blog skewering some of the more ridiculous aspects of the sex toy world at Screwy Sex Toys. She lives in Chicago with her girlfriend and their ridiculously adorable kid. Follow @EarlytoBed on Twitter and Facebook.
