By Mary Czerwinski

Early to Bed is not your average sex shop. There are no flashing neon lights, blow-up dolls or tacky gag gifts. In fact, one might overlook this North Side storefront and mistake it for a home decorator shop. Soft pastel bed linens and pillows adorn the window instead of leather whips and chaps. However, there is a savvy business strategy in the subtle approach of the lesbian-owned store.

While the sign out front of 5232 N. Sheridan may not be explicit, Early to Bed’s shelves deliver a clear message. This store is designed for the ladies.

"I just feel while there are some good sex stores in Chicago, they are all pretty male-oriented," says Searah Deysach, the 28-year-old owner of Early to Bed.

	Inside Early to Bed

To make the store woman-friendly Deysach avoids excessive raunch and stocks quality sex toys for women. As a consumer, she noticed there was more emphasis on quantity than quality in male-focused stores in Chicago.

"The places weren’t designed to take a woman’s sexuality very seriously," Deysach says. "There’s definitely lots of products for women, but they are not in places women feel comfortable."

With the absence of wall-to-wall porno tapes, Deysach had room to work on a motif that resembles a slumber party rather than an orgy. The light airy blue walls and silver stars give the impression that a woman is shopping for scented lotions rather than dildos and anal beads.

"I felt like I wanted a place that wasn’t all about gag gifts and bachelorette parties," Deysach says.

Deysach says she ran into a lot of that when she first started purchasing sex toys three years ago with her lover. Frustrated that her questions were not being answered sufficiently by typical sex shop employees, Deysach turned to the Internet. While she says there are great stores on the Web, it’s not the same. She likes the ability to see and feel what she is buying before it gets delivered to her doorstep.

In fact, Deysach researched her interest so obsessively that she considers her penchant for sex toy purchases an addiction. "It kind of snowballed. It’s like tattoos for me; if you have one you need three more."

While deciding what to do with her life after attending the School of the Art Institute, Deysach invested time and money into creating the sex shop she has always been looking for.

	Owner Searah Deysach

"There wasn’t a place that was showcasing woman-made products," she recalls. "Women-designed products are really important because when you are dealing with sex it’s nice to know that women are looking out for other women. It was this all-of-a-sudden feeling that Chicago needed [a female-owned sex shop] it."

Deysach pointed out that almost every major city; even smaller ones like Madison, WI, have successful women-friendly sex stores. She questioned, "Why didn’t Chicago?"

She sought advice on business management from other female-run sex stores and discovered many closed doors.

"I had this wide-eyed view of this huge woman sex-toy community where everybody helps each other," remembers Deysach. "They were all very nice when I contacted them, but they couldn’t help me out. It just wouldn’t be good business for them."

After quitting school and her job, Deysach took matters into her own hands and opened Early to Bed on September 8.

Opening a sex store in the primarily residential Edgewater area was a big undertaking. Deysach admits that she was nervous about the neighborhood’s reaction since she was selling crotchless panties rather than cookies. However she has been pleasantly surprised that "no one has said anything negative at all.

"The people who own and live in the building and everybody who comes in have been incredibly supportive. All the women who live in the building come in and they are like ‘oh my God; I am so excited.’ I was little concerned that someone might come in off the street and get mad," Deysach says.

While people don’t necessarily get mad, some have entered and left because it wasn’t what they expected. Deysach wants Early to Bed to seem more like a gift shop than a sex emporium selling exclusively pornography. She says plenty of men come in and leave disappointed. Carrying lip-gloss, and scented soaps alongside vibrators makes the store more like the Bath and Body Works of sex -- which is not to say Early to Bed has nothing for the guys.

"I would like to think that anybody is welcome here," Deysach says with a smile and wide eyes.

The lubes, cock rings and butt toys can be used by men she says. She is trying to encourage men to discover vibrators as a source of pleasure.

"I think men don’t really take advantage of what they can get from them."

A lot of girlfriends are bringing their boyfriends in to get them to order things, but Searah says she wants men and women alike to take their sexuality into their own hands. While talking about sex and using vibrators or dildos is still very taboo for some people, Deysach says the atmosphere is slowly changing.

She points out that shows like Sex and the City where vibrators are talked about, help break the ice.

"I think for a lot of people just having it in the mainstream view is helping women to feel a lot less embarrassed. I still think there is a lot of people who come in and are a little nervous or don’t even want to come in or admit that they have sex-- that they want to masturbate. I totally think it’s a taboo for a lot of people. I think it’s changing, I think it’s changing very quickly too, but I’ve had a lot of people in here say this is the first time they have bought anything like this," Deysach says.

	Another view inside Early To Bed

Another perception Deysach wants to dispell is that only desperate people without lovers resort to sex toys.

"That’s what makes me sad," says Deysach. You can have this great stuff and it doesn’t mean you’re some sort of loser who can’t get laid. That’s something I would sort of like to eliminate -- that stigma."

As the owner and sole employee of her store, Deysach says she has ultimate control over the level of customer service. She says she wants to give people enough space to shop comfortably, while being approachable to those who might have questions.

"The worst thing to do is have a question about this, but feel like you can’t ask or someone can’t answer it," Deysach says.

The second worst thing is to not know what you are buying she says. Early to Bed is designed to give customers an opportunity to touch and try products. Deysach says this allows you to compare things better than when they are in boxes.

Whether it is allowing customers to taste lubricants or turn on vibrators, all of the store’s products are accessible. Products are hand-selected by Deysach based on variety, quality and what the customers want. Deysach remembers feeling completely overwhelmed when purchasing her first sex toy at a large sex shop, "I had no idea what I was getting or using it for. I remember it was a very exhilarating experience--a very empowering experience, especially going into a store I felt a little uncomfortable in as a woman and to sort of take control of my sexuality in that way."

While her store is not large by any means, she says she can provide good customer service and quality. She hopes her customers feel open to talking about sex and requesting certain products. Having empowerment as a mission, she wants the store to serve as a platform for exchange of knowledge.

Part of the concept behind the shop is making it more than just a retail store. The owner wants to make it a community base where people can attend sex-positive workshops and readings. Eventually Deysach wants to sell products off the store’s website [www.early2bed.com]. While the retail environment was her first priority, she plans to make the website more interactive by putting up a Q&A section. In addition, Deysach is putting together a small print catalog.

Deysach says she has been lucky to have the support of her mother and friends along with no strong opposition from the city or neighborhood. "I wanted to be to open really quietly," Deysach says. "I didn’t want to cause any sort of stir."

The modest display of bedspreads in the window is certainly low key. In fact, says Deysach, some people come into the store thinking she sells beds. She likes it when they end up leaving with a vibrator and a book.

Early to Bed is right off Lake Shore Drive and just two blocks from the Bryn Mawr "L" station. Contact the store at 773-271-1219 or on the web at www.early2bed.com. The hours are noon-7 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, noon-9 p.m. on Fridays and until 10 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays they are open from noon- 5 p.m.