Dick & Jane’s Super Spot Manager Bailee Hoffman talks about her transition from Victoria’s Secret, launching Bonnie & Clyde’s from bare concrete walls and learning to get comfortable with words like “sex” and “clitoris.”
(Note: This article was originally published in the August 2026 issue of SE Magazine.)
Bailee Hoffman walked into Dick & Jane’s Super Spot in Rapid City eight years ago with a solid foundation from Victoria’s Secret and a lot to unlearn. She was uncomfortable with the word “sex.” She felt embarrassed learning anything beyond lingerie. Within her first week, that changed. Today she manages a staff of seven at Dick & Jane’s largest boutique-style location, attends trade shows, builds vendor relationships and handles the kind of customer conversations — medical referrals, menopause, ED — that most retailers never think to prepare for. In this interview with StorErotica Legal Correspondent Larry Kaplan, Hoffman talks about what Victoria’s Secret actually taught her, what it took to get genuinely comfortable in this industry and where she’s headed next.
SE: You came to Dick & Jane’s with retail experience from Victoria’s Secret. Eight years in, has the job delivered on what you hoped for?
Hoffman: It’s exceeded my expectations, honestly. The industry has introduced me to a customer base I didn’t know existed when I was at Victoria’s Secret. It’s awesome to see the endless possibilities.
SE: How did Victoria’s Secret prepare you for the conversations you have at Dick & Jane’s?
Hoffman: It gave me a solid foundation for having open, confidence-boosting conversations about customers’ bodies and their need to feel desirable. I got really comfortable with body language, asking things like, “What style are you looking for? What color makes you feel most confident?” Victoria’s Secret taught me to normalize vulnerability and make uncomfortable experiences more positive.
I brought those skills directly to Dick & Jane’s: the comfort level to discuss intimate products and to listen without judgment. But I also had to learn an entirely new body of knowledge about products I knew nothing about, a whole new kind of customer, and how to answer questions about how things work, safety and sizing. There are so many more sizing opportunities in our industry than Victoria’s Secret ever touched.
On my first day, I had an eye-opening moment realizing that sexual health education is just not talked about enough. I shouldn’t have felt embarrassed when someone said the word ‘clitoris’ to me.
— Bailee Hoffman
SE: What did those early years actually feel like?
Hoffman: First and foremost, sex is not a bad word. I always thought it was. I was uncomfortable with the word. On my first day, I had an eye-opening moment realizing that sexual health education is just not talked about enough. I shouldn’t have felt embarrassed when someone said the word “clitoris” to me. Within the first week, I realized I couldn’t just make it a goal to learn the products; it needed to become a passion. With any other job, you can just show up to learn something. Here, I realized it had to be something I was truly passionate about and put my all into.
SE: You manage a staff of seven at Dick & Jane’s largest location. What does leading that team look like day to day?
Hoffman: I’ve had good and bad managers in previous jobs, and one thing a lot of management never got right was making the environment fun. Our industry is fun, and it needs to be a safe space, not just for customers, but for employees too. Each employee owns their sections: they order for them, merchandise them and take real pride in them. We also make sure everyone cross-educates on new products, especially when something just came in.
Cleanliness is a huge part of our daily routine; there’s such a stigma around adult stores being dirty, so when customers compliment us on how clean and unintimidating the store is, it feels like real pride. And we stay current with training: Elevate U from Eldorado, supplier videos. I reach out to companies a couple of times a week to see what additional materials they have for us.
SE: You attend trade shows and work directly with vendors. How did you develop that side of the business?
Hoffman: David gives many of us the opportunity to attend trade shows, and I think his main goal is building personal relationships with brands. It’s a great opportunity to hand out your business card and build those vendor connections.
After eight years, I’ve learned what our customers look for: bright, fun packaging for beginners, subtle but interesting for intermediate customers, high-end, solid-color, fancy packaging for advanced shoppers who’ve searched the web and know exactly what they want. I never pass a trade show booth with gag gifts. Little Genie has the best. And ANME is coming up. I was on their website this morning writing down brands we don’t carry yet and setting up appointments.
SE: You helped launch Bonnie & Clyde’s alongside Brittany. What did that experience teach you?
Hoffman: I’d never witnessed a store go from concrete slabs and white walls to what it is today. I had my own idea of what it would look like, but David’s vision turned it into something I couldn’t have imagined.
Bonnie & Clyde’s was different because we had to build the structure from scratch. Our other stores are boutique-style. This one is edgier; it’s literally a sex store. So, figuring out the sections, the layout, the presentation was genuinely fun. And we had to hire the right personalities; people confident in the kinkier, more distinctive side of the industry that we don’t typically see at the other two locations.
SE: Dick & Jane’s receives referrals from local medical professionals. How do you handle those customers?
Hoffman: I try to share my own experiences. I had two kids by C-section, spent a lot of time in OB-GYN offices and recognized Überlube as one of their most common tools. When a customer comes in and says their OB-GYN sent them, I can say, “Absolutely, I’ve seen it in OB-GYN offices myself.” That normalizes it.
Same with men coming in for ED; pumps, rings, things their doctors recommended. I tell them it’s more common than most people think, show them what customers usually get and what their doctors have recommended. I’m not sure exactly what their doctor said, so mostly it’s about making a genuine personal connection and going from there.
Our industry is fun, and it needs to be a safe space, not just for customers, but for employees too.
— Bailee Hoffman
SE: How do you read a customer who’s just walked in?
Hoffman: Never judge a book by its cover. I’ll notice something: their shoes or their hair color, and lead with a compliment. Build a small connection first. You can tell a lot about how comfortable someone is just by how they say “hi” when you greet them.
If they’re shy, I’ll just say, “If you’re looking for something specific, let me know,” and check back in a few minutes without hovering. If they’re spending a long time in a section, I’ll go over, pick up a bestseller, tell them a little about it, let them hold it, show them how it turns on and give them space. I never want to overwhelm. Some customers are harder to crack, and there’s honestly no single answer; they’re all different.
SE: Where do you see yourself going from here?
Hoffman: I can only go up. I’m so thankful for David and Brittany; they’ve really shaped me and helped me learn things I never would have had the opportunity to discover otherwise. Someday I want to own my own business. But everything’s going as well as it can right now, and I’m comfortable soaking up as much as I can. I’m a sponge. I want to learn it all.
Larry Kaplan is a business broker specializing in the sale and purchase of adult retail stores and adult nightclubs, and the Executive Director of ACE of Michigan, the state trade association for adult nightclubs. For 26 years, Mr. Kaplan has been the Legal Correspondent for ED Publications. For more information, visit kaplanstoresales.com or contact Larry Kaplan at 313-815-3311 or larry@kaplanstoresales.com.
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