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13 Fun Facts about The Tickle Trunk

13 Fun Facts about The Tickle Trunk

The Tickle Trunk store is 13 years old.  We thought it would be fun to share with you:

 

13 Fun Facts about the Tickle Trunk

 

  1. The Traveling Tickle Trunk is actually almost 20 years old. We started in November,  2003 as a small home party company.  We have grown a lot since then!

 

  1. The Tickle Trunk has welcomed all kinds of amazing guests over the years.The most well-known of them was Dan Savage.  He came to Edmonton in 2013 for LitFest, which the Tickle Trunk sponsored, and stopped by the store to sign his latest book. 

 

 

  1. Other special guests have included Lee Harrington, Janet Hardy, Annie Sprinkle, and my all-time favourite, Midori.

 

  1. Speaking of Midori, hers was the very first rope workshop the Tickle Trunk hosted. That workshop[ allowed me to see how much interest there was in rope tying. I also met some people at Midori’s events that weekend who could teach rope. With theirs and Midori’s help,  we sourced and started carrying good quality rope and hosting rope workshops.

 

  1. I looked for a store space for the Tickle Trunk for more than a year. Every landlord I talked to did not want to lease to a sex shop.  I noticed that our current location had a Halloween store in it so I knew it would be up for lease again soon.  On November 1, 2008, I went to the store and sure enough, there was a for lease sign in the window.  I called the building owner right away and he said yes!

 

  1. After a lot of work and much anticipation on my part, the Tickle Trunk opened for business, on February 2, 2009. One person came in.  Total sales were $35.

 

  1. When the Tickle Trunk opened in 2009, we carried only three rechargeable toys – one by Fun Factory and two by Lelo (who had only two toys at the time). Now, thde majority of our motorized toys are rechargeable.

 

  1. The Tickle Trunk was made possible because I was fired from my full-time job without warning or reason. I had been thinking about making toys my full-time occupation but didn’t think I could manage it financially.   When I was suddenly fired without cause, I was able to get a part-time income from EI.  Through EI, I was also able to take a course of entrepreneurship for free.

 

  1. KoKo has been working with the Tickle Trunk for 11 years. I met KoKo as a customer and then at Midori’s rope workshop.  When I was suddenly in need of another part-time employee, I hoped that KoKo would come to the store again soon.  They did, I offered them a job, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

  1. Shortly after starting up as a part-time home party company. I was asked to give some occupational and physio therapists information about adapting toys for people with varying abilities.  I declined because I thought I didn’t have enough knowledge to do that.  But after trying to find alternative sources of information for them , I discovered it just wasn’t around.  I began researching and experimenting with ideas and simply being open to what people wanted and needed.  Now the Tickle Trunk works people with all kinds of abilities, helping them find the right toys to fit their unique needs.

 

  1. The Tickle Trunk has had two store dogs. Our beloved Misery started working at the store in 2011. Sadly she died in 2016.  Now our adorable 2 year old Nemesis has started taking on some shifts at the store as greeter and all-around mood enhancer.

 

  1. Our top selling toy of all time is the Teaser 10-speed. We brought it into  our inventory about 7 years ago and it quickly became a favourite.  The Teaser is great quality, reasonably priced –  the perfect for toy newbies and for anyone who wants a reliable toy.

 

  1. In 2011, I won the YWCA Women of Distinction award for entrepreneurship. It is, to this day, one of the things I am most proud of.  Thanks to Kristi and Dylan r the nomination,

 

  1. The Tickle Trunk was voted Edmonton’s best sex shop 7 times between 2011 and 2019 by readers of VUE Magazine.

 

Bonus 

  1. My favourite day of the year is always our birthday celebration. So many of our customers that have become good friends make sure to drop by on that day to say hi and share in some treats. This year, we are celebrating our birthday on Saturday, March 5th,  We will have delicious cookies from Whimsical Cake Studio, some birthday party favors to give away, and a special surprise for everyone who makes a purchase.  One lucky customer will win a $100 gift certificate.  We hope to see you there.

 

Thanks for the last 13 years! 

Brenda

 

 

 

 

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