SE Store Chain Profile by Larry Kaplan
(Note: This story appears in the February 2024 issue of SE Magazine)
It started with vinyl records. It evolved to smoke products. And eventually, David Betesh moved into adult products and became one of the most successful store owners in the Keystone State.
Betesh grew up in the retail industry; his parents owned a Philadelphia record shop where he worked in his teen years. The entrepreneur in David was already starting to show when he convinced his parents to add smoke products all those years ago, and they were an immediate hit.
Betesh and two partners opened what was then known as Excitement Video’s first location in Philadelphia in 1989 as a general video rental store. At one point, they offered over 15,000 unique titles, with an adult section that eventually became the store’s focus, along with adult magazines and digests. Excitement switched to toys and lingerie in early 2000 as the adult retail industry evolved. Betesh had learned his lesson when Blockbuster, West Coast Video, and other corporate giants moved in and drove his mom-and-pop general video rental store out of business years earlier. He went big with a 4,000-plus square foot superstore and has stuck with that footprint to fend off both brick-and-mortar and online competition.
Today, there are five Excitement Adult Superstores and two Excitement Smokin Superstores in Central to Southeast Pennsylvania. The chain has continued to evolve, with customer service delivered by professionals, fiercely proud to better the lives of their customers through imparting knowledge and expert advice. The stores cater to all price points, so the products are out of range for no one.
You must be logged in to post a comment.