I heard the office door open and a voice call out “UPS!” This happens quite a bit at our office as we get many different bulk shipments of magazines each month
in addition to the regular office supplies, copy paper and coffee similar to most offices. It was a Friday afternoon and only Managing Editor Kevin Ellis and myself were in the office.
“Just leave it at the front, thanks!” I yelled back. A few minutes later, I went to our front area and saw a large rectangular box on the front counter. It didn’t look like a box of magazines and I didn’t recognize the return address. I grabbed it and went into the conference room to open it. What I discovered was quite a surprise.
The box must have had 40 or so sex toys ranging from glow-in-the-dark condoms to edible panties and an array of devices in all shapes and sizes. I screamed out loud. “Oh my God!” Kevin came running in. Based on my reaction, he thought someone sent us a carcass because of a past article. Turns out, it had to do with the cover story this month on Hillsborough-based adult toys retailer Adam & Eve.
They were appreciative of writer Shannon Cuthrell’s hard work on the story, so they sent us a package of their “goodies” as a follow-up.
The story on Page 40 explains that Adam & Eve is a serious enterprise, a major philanthropist and an important part of its Orange County community. It’s a $300 million business that employs about 300 people and has operated for more than 40 years. As we report, times are a lot different these days than when founder Phil Harvey started Adam & Eve in 1971. Such adult products businesses aren’t as taboo as they were back in the Reagan era.
Opening a box full of their products was a little surprising, but it also made me think what a remarkable state we have with so many varieties of successful businesses.
Any suggestions on what to do with those toys? ■