New in the Woo The O Shop

RACHEL SHUSTER

Located at 10 Richmond Ave. in Worcester, The O Shop is not your average “adult” store. “It’s an experience – it’s as personal as the client wants it to be,” said owner, Stephanie Ramey.

By day, Ramey is President of the Worcester Railers hockey club focusing on all sales, financial reporting, marketing and relationship development. Prior to the Worcester Railers, Ramey served as the Executive Director of Discover Central Massachusetts. Ramey, also mom to three kids, is thrilled to open The O Shop and stretch her entrepreneurial skills. The shop opened its doors on July 10, but the story of how the shop came to be goes far beyond that.

“It stemmed from an article I read in a business journal about adult products trending during the pandemic,” Ramey said. “My best friend and I were joking and having a conversation about where you would even buy them beyond online. Online reviews tend to be articulated by men. That’s the last thing – a man telling you how to feel. We’ve been taught that it’s not ok for women to advocate for pleasure and talk about it. I want to change that.”

Ramey started thinking about physical locations. “There really wasn’t a place that made women feel comfortable,” she says. “It’s primarily women making these purchases, but retail outlets tend to be male oriented.”

Through her research, Ramey also began thinking beyond products, like lingerie, as it became clear that there isn’t a place in Central MA for a bra fitting outside of Victoria’s Secret. “That’s not always a comfortable place that makes people feel welcome or offers sizes that go beyond a double D,” she says.

From there, the idea snowballed. “It came to this point where I felt like I had this great idea and I had to make a decision,” Ramey said. “I went for it.”

The O Shop came together organically. “It was a lot of work, but all the pieces fell into place,” Ramey said. She began Googling how to buy lingerie wholesale, attending virtual lingerie conferences, met with a retail consultant, and was introduced to shop owners.

“I did a ton of reading and took health and sexuality workshops. I was fortunate to have my whole community and network of people support me and introduce me to different people and help make connections,” Ramey said. “I recognize where I am lacking information and will ask for help. I have been blessed throughout to connect with informed educated people. All our adult intimate items were curated by someone with a PHD in health and sexuality and I’ve connected with experts on social media to help. I’ve got a great crew of people that are advocating for the success of this business.”

The shop is meant to serve as a calming and comfortable place. “You’re meant to feel like you’re in a big relaxing closet,” Ramey said. “It’s not traditional retail space as it’s in an old Victorian apartment building, with chandeliers and amazing natural light. From the second clients step in, I want to provide this intimate, sweet, genuine boutique. It is important to take away any negative connotation there is around women feeling good and talking about their bodies and sexuality. Why is the idea of us feeling good, bad? This shop is meant to demystify things and make everyone say, ‘this is ok, it’s natural.”

One of the services offered at The O Shop is bra fittings. “We have bras and basic wear – 40 to over 100,” Ramey said. “It’s so important to have bra fittings to ensure that women feel good and confident. We take clients around the store and provide a curated experience. We help select items for them to try on – some of it isn’t things you even thought of, but that’s what we are here for. It’s a service and staff that’s attentive. We try to identify what’s best for you and each unique body.” The shop also offers sexier lingerie, plus size and petite items. To ensure a special and unique experience, Ramey does small quantity orders for the shop and always has new items coming in.

Additional offerings include lotions, facial products, pasties, candles, loungewear, athletic wear sets PH balance lubricants, condoms, vibrators and more! The O Shop also offers private events from bachelorette parties to events in partnership with nonprofit organizations. “We also plan to launch a variety of workshops for the community focused on topics like sexuality during and after menopause, introductions to products and more.” Ramey said. “It will be fun to watch the shop evolve. It has so many different layers.”

Ramey is proud to bring something new to Worcester that creates a place where people can feel good about themselves in various ways. “In Worcester, we’ve got this lively entrepreneurial spirit,” Ramey said. “The city is special in that we aren’t franchise heavy – we have small businesses that are destinations, and I want to be a part of that. With the O Shop, you’re getting an experience, service, expertise, and conversation. I hope that it becomes a destination for women and all people.”

The O Shop is operating currently with summer hours. Closed Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 5pm and Friday 12pm – 6pm. For more information, visit www.theoshop.com or find them on social media @theoshoponline.

420

IN THE 0 5 8

TRAVIS DUDA

New England Gets Greener

In June, Connecticut became the latest state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for all adults bringing the total to 18 states + DC. Now that the Nutmeggers are on board, only Rhode Island and New Hampshire are the New England holdouts. It seems like both States have strong support for reform, so it should only be a matter of time. More good news came from the Capitol. Senator Chuck Schumer is drafting the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which is legislation that would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level and continue the progress towards national legalization. Individual states would still be able to set the rules for their states, but once this bill passes there will be no federal penalty for possession. I recognize that I’m a bit of a broken record on this topic, it’s just that I’m so close on my legalization BINGO card. Winner gets a free joint. C’mon Iowa!

The Botanist is In

I recently took a trip out to the Botanist in Shrewsbury, along Rt 20. I completely missed the building on my first drive by, but after a quick turn around, I was welcomed to a fairly open parking lot next to an unassuming building. The retail space is wonderfully designed with large glass cases contrasted with vibrant green plants and shrubbery. Each strain had its own display with a detail card and all the customer facing signage is consistently designed and displayed. I was a little underwhelmed to see them using handwritten sticky notes on standard tan filing cabinets behind the bud tenders. It was so different to all the other meticulously designed signage that it felt out of place. The purchasing experience itself was simple and the couple of people I talked to were very friendly. I was also stoked to receive a 25% discount for my first medical order. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to grab a chick no pick from MamaRoux, the food truck in their parking lot, so I guess that means I’ll just have to go again.

Look What You Did

For anyone who hasn’t heard yet, Urkel is making weed! Purple Urkel is a new strain being released by ItsPurpl, a cannabis company owned by Jaleel White, better known as Urkel from Family Matters. Supposedly this bud is so good that it’s been endorsed by Snoop Dogg. Of course I haven’t had it yet, but I would very much like to pack a fat bowl of some and be thankful for friday. This news also had me thinking, with so many celebrities getting into the game, who is going to be the most surprising person? It was fairly obvious for people like Tommy Chong, Jay-Z, Seth Rogan, and Willie Nelson to release strains. I’m more excited for the unexpected releases. The day could come when we smoke a gram of Jackie Chan’s Stoney Master or maybe even snack attack on some Rachel Ray yum-o edibles? I’m just saying there’s tons of opportunities out there and I wanna get weird. So let’s go grab some Marie Kondo and spark some joy.