'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Sends Women Flocking To NYC Hardware Stores, Sex Shops
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - It appears that the erotic bestseller "Fifty Shades Of Grey" is doing more than just getting women hot and bothered.
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The book is sending them on a different type of shopping spree.
Fans of the book are flocking to local hardware stores looking for certain accessories used in several of the book's steamy scenes.
"Oh, we've been selling rope to women," Clifton Kahn, owner of Lexington Hardware on the Upper East Side, told the New York Post. "I'd say tenfold more rope than usual in the last six months. The women are definitely buying, and it's still continuing."
It's not just rope that women are purchasing. According to the Post, sales of handcuffs, riding crops and the signature silver-grey tie worn by the book's male protagonist, Christian Grey, are flying off shelves.
And several sex shops in New York City have seen a spike in their sales thanks to E L James' book and its meteoric rise to fame.
"We absolutely have," said Bunny, an employee at the Pleasure Chest on 7th Ave in the West Village. "We can't keep the book on our shelves. We're selling out of crops left and right, and selling [a lot] of Ben-Wa balls."
The "Fifty Shades Rush," as Bunny referred to it, started about a month ago. The effect is also being felt at the Pink PussyCat Boutique on West 4th Street, where the same Ben-Wa Balls have also been in demand.
"It's interesting, we've really seen a mix of new customers who mention the book," said Claire Cavanah, co-founder of Babeland, an adult store with several locations throughout the city. "Many come in with a friend who has been to Babeland before and is helping the newbie be comfortable walking into a sex shop for the first time. Others come alone, but definitely feel emboldened to seek out something they've never considered before, or werent interested in before."
"Overall, Babeland's sales of all toys and accessories in our Bondage category have jumped almost 30 percent," said Cavanah. "There are a few items that have increased beyond our wildest expectations, though. Sales of Babeland Bondage Tape have increased 1500 percent. The other huge bestsellers are Luna Beads, which are familiar to readers as Ben-Wa Balls. Sales of Luna Beads have jumped 560 percent."
"Fifty Shades of Grey" has enabled so many women to be able to open up and say, 'I want to try that,'" Cavanah added.
Have you read the book? If so, planning a trip to the hardware store anytime soon? Share your thoughts below.
