Regional Manager of Dick & Jane’s and the newly opened Bonnie & Clyde’s, Brittany Derby shares how a rally job turned into a career.
(Note: This article was originally published in the August 2026 issue of SE Magazine.)
Brittany Derby walked into Dick & Jane’s Naughty Spot in Sturgis, South Dakota, at 19, looking for a week of rally work before returning to her waitressing job at Pizza Hut. Thirteen years later, she’s the regional manager overseeing all three of David Eliason’s locations: Dick & Jane’s in Sturgis, Dick & Jane’s Super Spot in Rapid City and the newly opened Bonnie & Clyde’s near Ellsworth Air Force Base. She built everything she knows about the business on the job, without a roadmap, in an industry that didn’t yet have many of the training resources that exist today. In this interview with StorErotica Legal Correspondent Larry Kaplan, Derby talks about staffing three very different stores, launching Bonnie & Clyde’s from scratch, surviving the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and what she’s learned from the man she calls a second father.
SE: You started at Dick & Jane’s at 19, originally just looking for rally work. Thirteen years later, you’re the regional manager overseeing all three locations. When you walked in that first week, did you have any sense that this would become your career?
Derby: No, not at all. I was just looking for a fun, easy rally job and planned to go back to Pizza Hut when it was over. I just ended up staying; I started part-time, worked my way up. I waitressed and worked the store for about four months before going full-time.
SE: You came in with no retail experience and, by your own account, not much life experience yet. Everything you know about this industry you built from scratch. What were the steepest parts of the learning curve?
Derby: It was tough, especially 13 years ago when there weren’t many resources specific to our industry. Today, we have Elevate U, WOW Tech Academy, the P3 Facebook group and the SWPA Group, which make it so much easier to train new employees and give them reliable information. I wish I’d fully understood everything this industry actually entails from the start. We study anatomy, interpersonal relationships and client consultation. It’s truly so much more than just retail sales.
SE: Are distributors more supportive now than when you started?
Derby: Absolutely. We work very closely with Eldorado and our rep, James Noblitt. James is always willing to facilitate training sessions and support us however we need. He and the Eldorado team are exceptional partners.
SE: You were a customer at Dick & Jane’s before becoming an employee. How did that shape the way you think about the customer experience now that you’re running operations?
Derby: I want everyone to feel comfortable walking through that door. I know how nerve-wracking that first visit can be. That first experience in an adult store can shape how someone views the entire industry, so it’s really important that everybody feels at ease and can talk openly about their desires, about issues they’re dealing with, whatever it is.
We study anatomy, interpersonal relationships and client consultation. It’s truly so much more than just retail sales.
— Brittany Derby
SE: You’ve grown with the company from the original Sturgis location to Rapid City to Bonnie & Clyde’s. What’s the biggest challenge in maintaining consistency across three very different stores?
Derby: Staffing, honestly. Each store requires a different level of attention. In Sturgis, our three long-term employees — the shortest tenure is just over four years — keep things running smoothly. Rapid City is more challenging with double the staff. It really comes down to finding the right balance for each location.
SE: You played a central role in launching Bonnie & Clyde’s: hiring, training, inventory and displays. What does it take to build a store culture from the ground up?
Derby: Deep product knowledge and a real understanding of what sells in your market. After seeing David’s vision for the store, I knew I had to step outside my comfort zone. We wanted Bonnie & Clyde’s to feel edgier, more adventurous; different furniture, bolder inventory. We pushed ourselves beyond what we’d normally do.
SE: David describes you as someone who can run the business with very little oversight. How do you approach making decisions when he’s not in the room?
Derby: At first, it was intimidating. I had no managerial experience going in. But I always ask myself what kind of manager I’d want, and what David would do in that situation. He’s accommodating, he genuinely wants everyone to feel taken care of, and that’s the example I try to follow.
SE: The Sturgis store does roughly 20% of its annual business in just 12 days during the rally. How do you manage your team through that kind of pressure?
Derby: Growing up in Sturgis, I’m honestly used to the craziness; I thrive in it. But it really helps having a team that works well together. We put people where they’re most comfortable: if someone’s strongest at the register, that’s where they go; our top sellers work the floor. Finding everyone’s niche makes the whole operation better.
SE: What shifts in customers or the business itself stand out most to you over 13 years?
Derby: Older customers, especially older women, are finally finding the courage to walk through the door. A lot of them grew up with a real stigma around sex and self-pleasure, and they’re getting past what they were taught their whole lives. In the last five years, especially, women in their 70s and 80s have been coming in for their first toy, which is honestly one of my favorite things. The excitement on their faces is just the best.
We wanted Bonnie and Clyde’s to feel edgier, more adventurous; different furniture, bolder inventory. We pushed ourselves beyond what we’d normally do.
— Brittany Derby
SE: What do you want people outside the industry to understand about what it takes to run a professional adult retail operation?
Derby: We want to be a resource to the community; women navigating menopause, men dealing with ED. Our customers are the reason we do this. We believe everyone deserves to feel pleasure, and we want everyone to feel comfortable getting there. Trained, passionate employees make all the difference.
SE: Tell me about David.
Derby: He’s really become like a second father to me. Whatever I need — advice, support, anything he’s always there. He genuinely wants his employees to be happy and values my opinion, which means everything to me, especially given how much more experience he has. He makes me feel like I matter. Our relationship has evolved from joking around when I first started to something much deeper. He’s watched me grow up.
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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