What It’s Really Like Owning an Online Sex Shop: My Horny Stoner Story

If you’ve been following Dildo or Dildon’t for a while, you may have noticed that I’ve been a little busy lately.

And by “a little busy,” I mean that somewhere between reviewing sex toys, teaching workshops, speaking at conferences, writing blog posts, managing social media, and trying to remember where I left my coffee, I accidentally became the owner of a sex shop.

I should probably explain.

Wait, You Own a Sex Shop Now?

Yup.

A while back, I took over ownership of Horny Stoner, an online shop that combines two things I’ve spent a significant portion of my adult life talking about: pleasure and cannabis culture.

On paper, it made perfect sense.

In reality, it has been one of the most rewarding, stressful, exciting, confusing, hilarious things I’ve ever done.

I’ve spent years working in sex shops. I’ve managed stores. I’ve reviewed products. I’ve trained staff. I’ve helped thousands of customers find products that work for them.

Owning the whole thing, however, is a completely different experience.

Suddenly, every decision is yours.

Every product.
Every email.
Every marketing campaign.
Every shipping issue.
Every unusual customer question.

And trust me, people still find new and exciting questions.

What I Thought Owning a Sex Shop Would Be Like

I imagined curating cool products, creating educational content, and helping people discover things they love.

That part is true.

What I didn’t anticipate was how much time I would spend learning about things like shipping software, inventory forecasting, payment processors, sales tax, packaging materials, abandoned carts, discount codes, and why a customer somehow managed to order the exact one product that was misplaced in the warehouse.

There are days where I feel like a sex educator.

There are days where I feel like an event planner.

There are days where I feel like an accountant with a vibrator problem.

The Unexpected Part: Building Community

The biggest surprise wasn’t the website itself.

It was the community.

When I took over Horny Stoner, I thought I was getting a website.

What I ended up building was something much bigger.

Over the past year, Horny Stoner has become a space for workshops, drag bingo, trivia nights, pop-ups, fundraisers, educational events, and a lot of conversations with really cool people.

I’ve hosted events where complete strangers walked in alone and left with new friends.

I’ve watched people learn something new about themselves in workshops.

I’ve seen community members support local nonprofits through raffles and fundraisers.

I’ve made new best friends with drag performers.

I’ve given away an unreasonable number of prizes.

Honestly, the events have become one of my favorite parts of the entire business.

Why It Matters

The adult industry often gets reduced to products.

But the reality is that most of us aren’t looking for products.

We’re looking for connection.

We’re looking for confidence.

We’re looking for information.

We’re looking for community.

Sometimes we’re looking for a really cute mushroom vibrator.

But mostly, we’re looking for spaces where we can show up as ourselves without judgment.

That’s always been important to me as an educator, and it’s become even more important as a business owner.

What I’ve Learned

Owning Horny Stoner has taught me a few things:

People still want education.

People appreciate honesty.

Community is more important than algorithms.

The cutest products usually sell first.

Everyone waits until the last possible minute to buy gifts.

And no matter how many years I’ve spent in this industry, people will continue to ask questions I’ve never heard before.

What’s Next?

Honestly?

More of the same.

More workshops.

More events.