Diapers and dildos, strollers and strap-ons, bottles and bondage.
That’s the new face of Park Slope thanks to the addition of Babeland, Manhattan’s famous high-end sex toys shop.
“It’s about time the couples in Park Slope had a new kind of baby toy to play with,” joked neighborhood resident Keri, who asked that her last name be withheld for modesty’s sake.
The store has taken up residence at 462 Bergen Street and will feature Slimline vibes, Pocket Rockets and that famous Rabbit Habit praised by the ladies of “Sex and the City.”
When the store’s founders decided to bring their vibrating wares to family-friendly Park Slope, stroller moms were surprisingly – pardon the pun – excited.
“I’m part of two mommies groups and they are thrilled. This block is going to have a Gymboree on it, which is a toddler gym, so we expect a lot of moms going by,” said Babeland’s co-founder Claire Cavanah, a former Park Slope mom.
To make their stay in the shop more, uh, satisfying, accommodations have been made for strollers and even babies.
“When I was working with the cabinet designers, I made sure there’s clearance for strollers,” Cavanah said. “And I’m really thinking about putting a changing table in the bathroom.”
“There are going to be new mothers who are going to be walking around wishing for a place to go that recognizes who they are,” Cavanah said.
To meet their needs, Babeland is planning a series of workshops and events designed to help mothers reconnect with their sexuality.
“We plan to go into sexual self-esteem and getting it back and communicating with your partner – things that I know women are talking about after childbirth,” Cavanah explained. “There’s an endless desire for more sex information for adults. I imagine in time we’ll bring over the G-spot workshop and the ‘How to Please Your Man’ workshop.”
“There was a joke online that Babeland is going to be like the Tea Lounge in two weeks,” she said.
It’s not just married folks and mothers set to benefit from Babeland – Park Slope’s single scenesters are eager for a risqué shop to open next to baby boutiques.
“It’s going to spice up the image of Park Slope being a family-oriented neighborhood. Within the past four years, so many ‘mom’ clothing boutiques, family restaurants, banks, dog boutiques and trendy bars have opened. Park Slope is getting more conservative and yuppified as the weeks go on. It would be great to have a mix of culture here,” said single gal Keri.
And who knows, maybe a trip to Babeland could provide mothers with new parenting tips.
Skeptical? Well, read this anecdote from Keri – “One of my favorite scenes from ‘Sex in the City’ is when Brady is born and Miranda is going crazy because she can’t get him to stop crying. Samantha offers to baby-sit for Brady and happens to have a brand new massager dildo with her. She puts it next to Brady and he stops crying. Maybe Babeland will be the biggest saint ever to Park Slope. It will finally get the babies to stop crying!”
Babeland will host a grand opening celebration on June 15 from 12-6 p.m. The first 50 customers will receive a free silver bullet vibrator and raffles will be held throughout the day for other pulsating prizes. Contact the store at 718-638-3820.
