In November 2022, the intimate boutique House of Woman opened in Tbilisi – the first store of this format in the city. Before this, they tried to open sex shops in Georgia twice, but they quickly closed due to pogroms. For a long time, adult products could only be purchased online. Most often – through social networks. We talked with the owner of the House of Woman boutique, Diana Loginova, and found out how she decided to start such a business.
How are things going in Georgia? with the adult products industry
They tried to open sex shops in Georgia twice. The first was in 2001 in Tbilisi. Just two months later, activists of the Orthodox Church in Georgia arranged pogrom and tried to set fire to the store. The second sex shop opened in 2016 in Batumi. Co-owner of the store told, that first, because of the pogroms, they had to move to another area, and then close completely. The store was destroyed two weeks after opening in its new location. Until 2022, no one dared to open offline sex shops anymore.
In Georgia, the Orthodox Church has a strong influence on society. For Kartvelians, as Georgians prefer to call themselves, the church is an identity marker, something that defines them. This is also influenced by Caucasian traditions, where the topic of sex is still very taboo.
At the beginning of 2022, when many people came to the country expats and refugees, in Telegram chats they were often asked where to buy lubricants and condoms from non-mass market brands. It was a problem back then – it was impossible to find My size condoms and System Jo or Shunga lubricants in pharmacies and hypermarkets.
Small adult stores are on social media. Most are open by Russian-speaking expats for the same expats: all content is published in Russian.
There are several sex shops operating online. These are Cupidon and Kiku. Cupidon opened back in 2011. This first online sex shop in Georgia. The assortment is quite large. There are popular European sex toys and condoms, and Chinese analogues. The order is delivered by courier in Tbilisi or by mail to other cities. Cupidon writesthat neither the courier nor the postal workers will know about the contents of the parcel or the name of the store.
At the beginning of 2023, another sex shop appeared in Wolt, a popular fast delivery service. The store operates in a darkstore format: you cannot physically come to it. It sells sex toys, clothing, and BDSM products. There are no condoms or lubricants.
How the idea for House of Woman came about
Diana Loginova, owner of the intimate boutique House of Woman, is 24 years old. She emigrated with her husband from St. Petersburg a year ago. Before moving, the girl was not very interested in the adult sphere. She was engaged in photography, worked as a barista and in SMM.
After moving, Diana realized that finding the usual high-quality intimate goods in Georgia was an impossible quest. At networking meetings, she learned that local and visiting girls ordered lubricants and toys from Russia or the USA, through intermediaries. Then she got the idea to open her own intimate boutique.
Diana says that she has rescuer syndrome: she constantly wants to help everyone around her. If she and other people in Tbilisi lacked vegan products, she would have opened a store with soy meat and tofu. There are vegan products in Tbilisi, but there are no high-quality adult products. Diana knew about the fate of past sex shops, but this did not influence her decision.
Diana didn’t even consider the option of opening an online business. It doesn’t suit her – it seems like something intangible. The girl wanted to create a space where it would be nice to come, where you can drink coffee, chat with a friend, choose sex toys and skincare products.
She calls House of Woman not a sex shop, but an intimate boutique or a space for women. She simply doesn’t like the name “sex shop.” He says it’s like the gender of the store.
Diana didn’t think about the name for a long time. House of Woman describes the concept perfectly – a place that sells everything for women: from cosmetics and tarot cards to vibrators.
How House of Woman opened
The store opened in Tbilisi in November 2022, in the Saburtalo district. Saburtalo is a large district near the center. Previously, mainly local intellectuals lived here, but now many expats rent apartments. Diana was looking for premises based on proximity to home: the girl herself lives here.
Finding the premises was not difficult. Diana turned to realtors for help. There were no problems with the owner of the room I liked. Diana immediately told us what she planned to sell and even showed her the goods. The landlord didn’t mind. There were no legal problems either: small 18+ businesses open just like any other.
Diana says that opening a store was not scary at all. She has an easy approach to life: if you want to do something, you go and do it, why be afraid.
House of Woman is located a short distance from the metro – on Alexandra Kazbegi Street, 10. On the sign there is only the name and no hints about the features of the store. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why no one came to destroy him. According to Diana, there was no direct aggression or attacks in eight months. Just in case, the store has a panic button to call security.
There were mixed reactions to the opening of House of Woman on social networks. IN comments There were negative messages on TikTok about the opening of the store in Georgian: “They are so depraved that they open such a store!”, “Where are the church and society looking?” But there were also many supportive comments in Georgian, Russian and English: “Cool, well done! I’m shocked that in 2023 there are no such stores in Tbilisi. There is nothing shameful in this topic,” “Get on your nerves! Strong!”
Things didn’t go any further than the negativity on social networks. No one personally threatened Diana. She takes comments on social networks calmly: it’s just hate on the Internet, you can ignore it.
What does the House of Woman assortment look like?
The space is divided into two parts. Immediately after the entrance there is a small hall with a fluffy wall, a Woman sign and a painting of dancing women. There you can sit on the sofa and drink coffee. The room with goods is after the hall, behind a curtain.
In addition to adult products, House of Woman sells organic cosmetics, candles and ceramics, tarot cards and incense.
Diana orders adult products through distributors from Russia. Before the opening, the girl had contacts of 30 suppliers. Friends recommended them to her. Only three agreed to collaborate with House of Woman. It’s all about the boutique’s small (from the point of view of distributors) turnover. Suppliers did not want to spend a lot of time on bureaucratic issues. All products have certificates of conformity. The store sells Satisfyer and Womanizer toys, Eska and Swiss lubricants, My Size and Ganzo condoms. This is only part of the range.
Toys in House of Woman cost more than similar ones in Russian sex shops or online stores. The price of the product includes delivery, import tax, VAT, customs clearance, premises rental, employee salaries and other expenses. For example, the popular penguin-shaped stimulator Satisfyer Pro Penguin in House of Woman costs 300 lari – approximately 9,600 rubles. In Russia, its average price is 3,000 rubles. At the same time, Diana’s net profit is only 5%.
Diana had problems with customs several times. The second delivery was delayed for several weeks due to bureaucratic issues and free lubricant testers. In the invoice they cost zero rubles, which confused the customs officers. Now Diana orders 200–300 kg of goods at a time. On average, 10–12 days pass from the moment of ordering from Russia to arrival at the boutique.
How House of Woman works
Lectures are held in the space from time to time. The topics are different. Lecturers and guests discuss adultery in exile and orgasm, and talk about tantra for women. Before the New Year, the space hosted a master class on modeling gingerbread houses from clay. Diana doesn’t have to look for speakers: the lecturers themselves find space and suggest topics. Now all lectures are held in Russian.
Diana decided to hold lectures at the House of Woman even before the opening. She wanted this to be a space for women, where they could not only buy a toy or cosmetics, but also meet other girls, drink coffee, and listen to interesting lectures. This is how House of Woman becomes both an intimate boutique and a networking space.
Many people come to lectures. Now these are mostly Russian-speaking girls from different countries. This is probably due to the topic of the lectures. Over time, Diana wants to systematize the process: hold lectures on the same days. Perhaps the concept will change too. Diana wants to talk more about serious sex education: female anatomy, HIV prevention, health.
Most of the boutique’s visitors are expats, but locals also come in. The latter, remembering the fate of other intimate stores, sometimes wonder how House of Woman is still intact.
People often learn about the store through word of mouth in the form of chats on Telegram. Many local and foreign Russian-language media wrote about the opening of House of Woman. It became free advertising.
A second House of Woman store opened in June. It is located in the center of Tbilisi – on Rustaveli Avenue. Diana has big plans. She plans to open a third store in Batumi, and a fourth in Armenia, Yerevan.