â??So what is the proper name for a place like thisâ?¦is it a sex toy shop, or sex shop or erotica shopâ?¦?â? I asked.

Oh boy, I think to myself. This was not an Oh boy of excitement. This was an uneasy Oh boy, one that you usually save for awkward moments.

Not even the V6 in my 91 Ford Taurus was giving me any courage. I was searching for a place on Center Street called the Tool Shed.

The Tool Shed is simply a sex toy shop.

Oh boy.

I have never been to a sex toy shop. I have never wanted to go to a sex toy shop. I have never had the need to go to a sex toy shop.

But I was going to a sex toy shop. In my mind, I thought I was going to a sleazy, raunchy and dirty place. A place where men walk out looking over their shoulder hoping their friends didnt just see them walk out of a sex toy shop.

Upon arriving at 804 Center St., I realized I had parked in front of the wrong building.

Wait a second, I said to myself. No I didnt.

There it was: The Tool Shed, nestled in between two other brick buildings just like it with a little sign hanging above the sidewalk. Quaint was the first word that came to mind.

Quaint? I thought. This is a sex toy shop and quaint is the first word you think of?

From here on out, what I used to think a sex toy shop was would be torn down brick by brick.

I walked up to the door. I was damned if a little shyness was going to turn me away. Besides, the word quaint had already thrown me off. I was preparing myself for anything.

Anything but what I saw when I walked in. Imagine an antique store. Now imagine instead of antiques on the walls there were sex toys. Thats the Tool Shed. Its a square room with an old hardwood floor that creaks a little with each step. There was a man standing behind the desk on the phone, so I took a walk around the store, trying to look as comfortable and cool as I could.

To my right were cock rings and clothing. On the wall closest to the sidewalk I came in on were an assortment of novelty items. The wall farthest from me had some leather apparatuses along with some interesting book.

But there, in the center of the room, was a table. A table full of dildos.

The man on the phone was no longer on the phone. I went over and introduced myself.

Hi. My name is Darin and Im here to do a story for the East Side Guide that the UWM Post puts out every year.

This is how I met Andy Penasa, part owner of the Tool Shed. Andys partner was Eilis OHerlihy and she was not there at the time. I told Andy that I had some questions. He was more than happy to answer them.

So what is the proper name for a place like this â?¦ is it a sex toy shop, or sex shop or erotica shop â?¦? I asked.

Sex toy shop is fine, Andy said. People call it different things. Theyre just words.

The Tool Shed was started two years ago by Eilis and her partner. When Eilis partner had to move on because of school, Andy stepped up and helped out. The pair also bartend in addition to owning the store.

So, the look of the store â?¦ its not what I was expecting out of a sex toy shop, I said.

Yeah, Andy said. Were trying to create an environment thats not seedy but comfortable.

For my first time in a sex toy shop, I was comfortable. Oddly enough, the place has homey, coziness to it. It was very low key, calm and respectable. Andy claimed all sort of people came in and that they dont discriminate between different groups.

Everyone is welcome, he said.

I asked him about what people do if its their first time in a sex toy shop.

Sometimes people are really shy and you have to be nonchalant with them. Sometimes people know what they want. People who come in for the first time normally dont want to spend a lot of money, where as people who come in more will spend more money on what they want.

The holidays are the busy time for the Tool Shed. People buy gifts for their loved ones, male and female alike. Sometimes people come in solo, sometimes in groups, but previously stated, Tool Shed caters to everyone.

Its not as weird as you would think, Andy said. Its just people shopping for sex toys.

I thanked Andy for the interview and information and parted ways with the Tool Shed. I hopped back in my car and headed home, happy everything went well. For my first time in a sex toy shop, I was pleasantly surprised and more than happy to spread the good word about the Tool Shed.

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