’50 Shades of Grey’ Means Lots of Green for Local Biz

February 13, 2015

Morgan Fogarty,

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – “50 Shades of Grey,” 50 different opinions! The book series turned movie, about one woman’s experimentation with bondage and more, is whipping up excitement and anger. Some, like the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, say it’s downright dangerous. The group posted in part, “This type of material cultivates a rape and sexual violence culture and is now permeating our society.”

Actress Dakota Johnson plays the female lead in the movie. She says of the criticism, “Everything that Anastasia does, it’s completely her choice and consensual, and no person is abused in the movie, and I think it’s kind of a closed-minded outlook.”

Many agree with the Johnson, and see “50 Shades” as healthy, fun fantasy. At Charlotte’s The Reddoor Erotic Boutique, owner Todd Joffe says “Grey” means green for him. In his 11 years in business, “50 Shades” has had the single biggest impact on the size of Joffe’s sales. He says, “Products that ladies were buying from the book actually sold out from distributing companies to where we couldn’t even get them anymore.”

Those products are probably too hot to specifically name, but Joffe says blindfolds, feather ticklers and handcuffs have also spiked in popularity. There’s even a “50 Shades” product line. Joffe says, “And we’ve got the whole product line here.” WCCB Charlotte’s Morgan Fogarty asked, “You ordered it all?” He replied, “Mmhmm. Yeah, we’re stocked and ready.”

Hopefully hospitals are ready, too. The number of Americans taking trips to the ER for sex toy injuries has doubled since 2007, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Much of the increase reportedly happened in 2012 and ’13, following the release of the “50 Shades” books. We asked CMC and Novant if they’re bracing for this weekend’s movie release, but they must have been tied up; we never heard back.

The Reddoor is hosting a “50 Shades” viewing party at the Studio Movie Grill in the Epicenter for VIP customers on Sunday, February 22nd at 7:30pm. Joffe says if you’re interested in getting your name on the invite list, stop into a Reddoor boutique.

For critics of the movie, there’s a social media campaign, “#50DollarsNot50Shades,” encouraging people to donate money to a domestic violence shelter instead.