Sex educator and writer, Ducky Doolittle, shares how her distinctive career in NYC helped her become a successful adult store owner.
(NOTE: This story appears in the April 2025 issue of SE Magazine.)
Ducky Doolittle’s path to owning two successful adult retail stores in Arkansas is anything but conventional. After working in the adult industry in New York’s Times Square in the late 80s while a homeless teenager, she carved out a career that has spanned retail, journalism, sex education, and product development. Her early experiences in the industry, including writing for porn magazines and being a part of the management team at Babeland’s groundbreaking women-friendly stores, shaped her passion for education and advocacy in sexual wellness.
In this interview with StorErotica Legal Correspondent Larry Kaplan, Doolittle shares her journey, the unique approach of the Enchantasys stores, her philosophy on customer service, and the challenges of running adult retail in small markets.
SE: Tell me about how you started in the adult industry and your time in New York City.
Doolittle: In the late ‘80s, I was a homeless teenager in New York looking for work. I started as a retail worker at an old-school adult store attached to one of the big peep-show places in Times Square, not even realizing what the job was. After a year, I transitioned into writing for porn magazines, doing product reviews and girl-copy.
Later, I joined Babeland, one of the first women-owned, sex-positive toy stores, where I booked events, taught classes, and helped make sex education a key part of retail. By the early 2000s, event tickets became Babeland’s top seller. I was there during 9/11, which taught me resilience in business. I subsequently became a sex educator and a sexual assault & violence intervention counselor, working in NYC hospitals while writing and traveling as a freelance educator. In 2006, I published “Sex with the Lights On: 200 Illuminating Sex Questions Answered”, a general sex ed book for grownups, to demystify sex.
SE: After getting your start in adult retail in New York, the largest city in the US, what led you to open two stores in much, much smaller markets “on the edge of the woods” in Arkansas?
Doolittle: My husband is a Marine Corps combat veteran, and when he left the Marines, we followed my work. However, during the 2008 financial crisis, when my freelance opportunities declined, I joined Tantus and later Blush, where I worked with industrial designers, which was a valuable experience.
When we relocated to Little Rock during the pandemic to be close to his family, Kim and Jim Patterson of Enchantasys approached me about opening a store together.
We opened our first location in Conway, then acquired Fayetteville’s Condom Sense, owned by renowned sex educator Cathy Jett, who was retiring. Cathy sold it to us because of my commitment to education. We kept the Condom Sense name until we moved that store four months ago, and then we renamed it Enchantasys. Kim and Jim, originally from North Dakota, and I share Midwest roots, which helped us connect. Conway is demographically similar to Fargo, which made it comfortable to expand their business model to this Arkansas town.
SE: Tell me about your team and your focus at Enchantasys.
Doolittle: I’m blessed to have a knowledgeable team and encourage their input. My main focus is teaching them merchandising—visual displays, planograms, and color-blocking lingerie. This information empowers them, lightens my load, and creates a collaborative work environment. They see me as a whole person, not just a boss, and that’s cool. They are right there with me.
I started as a retail worker at an old-school adult store attached to one of the big peep-show places in Times Square, not even realizing what the job was.
— Ducky Doolittle
SE: What are the defining characteristics of an Enchantasys store? How do they differ from other stores?
Doolittle: We’re large—Conway is 5,000 sq. ft., and Fayetteville is about a third of that. We aim to stock at least two options for every product. Our biggest compliment is when customers say, ‘This is my store, this is where I shop.’ If we don’t have something a customer wants, we’ll get it. The store aesthetic is soft and feminine, with lingerie at the entrance to ease customers in before they encounter more explicit products.
SE: How do you implement customer outreach to draw shoppers in your stores? Is there a market segment you’re particularly interested in?
Doolittle: I spent much of my career working directly with consumers in New York City, a very different market from Arkansas. Arkansas relies heavily on word-of-mouth, so our marketing is grassroots—talking to people everywhere I go, passing out cards and coupons, maintaining strong Google reviews, and hosting classes and community events. You can’t find that sort of thing elsewhere in Arkansas, a facilitated class where people can share their experiences and learn from each other.
We have great products and books to support that mission, from beautiful lubricants to vaginal dilators to prostate massagers. Toys are teaching tools, and I’m first a sex educator. And the retail sales make that teaching possible, so it’s all congruent; it’s a snowball. People can be off the sales floor, sit, and learn in our learning space. And that’s beautiful.
SE: Tell me about your classes and special events.
Doolittle: Education is at the heart of what we do. I teach classes such as sex and unwanted pain, providing a safe space for people to share and learn. Our sales floor supports this mission by offering curated products related to each class. Thanks to my husband’s military background, we also host advocacy classes for veterans using the VA. Brands generously support these efforts with raffle prizes, lube samples, and merchandise.
SE: You mentioned having amazing staff. What do you look for when hiring?
Doolittle: I want mission-driven employees. I like to ask them why they want to work with us. Suppose they respond by saying, “Because I got fired from my last job,” then they’re not a good fit. But if they say, “I love what you do, I love your classes,” or “This is the best shop in Arkansas,” that’s what I’m looking for. Our staff recognizes customers as whole people, helping them find something that enhances their happiness.
SE: Has inflation forced you to raise prices? What are your thoughts on this administration related to adult retail? Are you worried about the threat of tariffs and the need to raise prices further?
Doolittle: We pretty much stick to MSRP, adjusting as brands raise their prices. I don’t waste energy worrying about things I can’t control. Having been a part of a management team in New York City in the disaster zone when the Twin Towers fell taught me to persevere. I’ve survived the dot-com bubble, the 2008 financial crisis, tariffs and COVID disruptions. I say, fuck the world, I’ll bring pleasure to the people. If banks pull my services or social sites censor me, I’ll still get dildos into people’s hands.
SE: What social media channels do you find most effective for you?
Doolittle: TikTok is huge but restrictive. Facebook is a solid option if you know how to word things to avoid getting flagged. Most platforms make it tricky to market adult products.
SE: You’ve helped bring hundreds of products to market. What’s your most memorable?
Doolittle: The Blush Wellness dilator set. After my uterine cancer diagnosis, I lost my ovaries, uterus, and cervix. Before surgery, I used dilators to understand my anatomy. Afterward, the same dilators caused pain, so I realized they weren’t designed for post-surgical needs. At Blush, I worked with outstanding designers to create a softer, more body-friendly set with a rounded tip. Now, I recommend them to customers experiencing penetration issues, and it’s rewarding to know they help people.
SE: What are your two or three top-selling toy and novelty brands?
Doolittle: Evolved, Blush, and CalExotics are top sellers, especially among female customers. Maia, Romp, Womanizer, We-Vibe, and Magic Wand also perform well.
I say, fuck the world, I’ll bring pleasure to the people. If banks pull my services or social sites censor me, I’ll still get dildos into people’s hands.
— Ducky Doolittle
SE: What are your top kink products and brands?
Doolittle: We sell a lot of kink and BDSM products because of our nonjudgmental approach. Customers feel safe and start with curiosity but soon feel comfortable asking honest questions. And we reassure them that their interests are normal and they’re welcome to explore. I sell a surprising number of cock cages from various brands and plenty of Sportsheets and beautiful Rouge Leather products. Then, it runs the gamut; for novelties, all the brands have something today. For us, it’s all about the consumer—if they want something we don’t carry, I’ll find it.
SE: What are your top-selling lubricants?
Doolitte: Wicked Sensual Care is our top seller, followed by pjur and Goodhead from Doc Johnson—trusted brands my team loves.
SE: What are your top-selling lingerie brands?
Doolittle: I prioritize size-inclusivity in lingerie, with top sellers like the Fantasy Lingerie Curve collection. And my team loves Coquette’s aesthetic, and when they love something, it naturally sells.
SE: What’s your biggest pet peeve when buying product?
Doolittle: Poor design. Some manufacturers release products without understanding the pleasure anatomy. I’ve seen G-Spotters where the curve is in the handle instead of the insertable part. It’s frustrating when brands fill their catalogs with thoughtless items.
SE: What’s the best part of your job, and what’s most challenging?
Doolittle: The best part is the people—our staff and customers. The hardest part is also the people! Managing employees, customers, and two stores in two towns means I’m constantly multitasking. Retail is tough, but I love it and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Larry Kaplan is a broker in the sale and purchase of adult retail stores and adult nightclubs and the Executive Director of the ACE of Michigan adult nightclub state trade association. Mr. Kaplan has been the Legal Correspondent for ED Publications for 24 years. Contact Larry Kaplan at 313-815-3311 or email larry@kaplanclubsales.com.
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