BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – If you have spent much time in the downtown Bellingham area, you may have noticed a store on Commercial Street with big, decorated glass windows with the words, “pleasure is our revolution” in bolded letters.

That business would be WinkWink Boutique, an independently owned sex shop led by founder and owner Jenn Mason.

Jenn Mason is a sex coach, sex educator and owner of WinkWink Boutique, who moved to Whatcom County to attend college in 2001.

Prior to being a small business owner, she spent 10 years at a domestic violence and rape crisis center doing consent and violence prevention workshops for teens.

After a decade of that work, Mason felt that she wanted to shift her focus to providing comfort and empowerment in people’s sex lives by helping them write their own narrative about what safe and pleasurable sex looks like.

“I really felt like while we were getting better at talking about what we don’t want around sex, we’re still pretty uncomfortable talking about what we do want,” Mason said.

In 2018, Mason took a leap of faith and set up a pop-up shop with a tent, tables and some sex toys. Later that year she took things a step further and opened a shop, believing the community would be responsive and positive towards the new business.

WinkWink aims to be a space that specifically appeals to the needs and wants of folks in Whatcom County. Mason and the rest of the staff have made a concerted effort to reach people who don’t see themselves coming into a sex shop or have maybe never been into one before.

A look at WinkWink Boutique’s storefront from the street in downtown Bellingham. Photographed by Ellie Coberly
Items on display when you first walk through the front doors of WinkWink, with Valentine’s Day decor pictured hanging above. Photographed by Ellie Coberly
A look at WinkWink’s wall of toys, a giant version of a Magic Wand pictured to the right. Photographed by Ellie Coberly

Mason shared that this business means everything to her. It is a culmination of 20 years of work as she understands the weight of working around sexuality and personal issues in people’s lives. Furthermore, she explained that when there is a national rhetoric that slanders queer and trans people, she feels honored to have a space that provides an inclusive and proactively affirming environment.

“Every day our staff is working with the most personal issue in people’s lives, complete strangers coming in to talk about the most personal issues in their lives,” Mason said. “It’s a huge honor to get to have that and to be able to steward this business is super important to me. Of course it’s fun, but it’s bigger than that.”

One of Mason’s most memorable experiences are her private appointments through referrals from local doctors, therapists or medical providers. It often happens that they will have a patient who is going through some change in their life or with their health, and they direct those patients to WinkWink for a private consultation.

“It’s been really cool because I’ve gotten to work with some seniors that way. Folks who are in their 80s have come in during a private appointment who have never owned a sex toy in their life,” she said. “Their bodies are changing; desires are changing and so WinkWink helps them figure out what pleasure looks like at this point in their life.”

Mason recognizes that culturally, people make a lot of assumptions that older folks aren’t have sex or doing new and novel things but explains that it is simply not true. She shared that her experience has taught her that sex and pleasure are for everyone, no matter their age.

Sex education books on display in the store. Photographed by Ellie Coberly
A shot of the many lube and oil options available at WinkWink. Photographed by Ellie Coberly
A look at WinkWink’s Side Piece Studio, where many events and shows are held. Photography by Ellie Coberly

“I want to be known for having helped create an inclusive, affirming space, even when it was really hard. We have a lot of people who love us, and a lot of people who don’t love us,” Mason said. “I guess I would hope that the impact we have is that we existed, even if people didn’t want us to.”

The business is currently preparing for one of their busiest days of the year: Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day weekend will feature four back-to-back events for couples, friends and singles alike at their location in downtown Bellingham. WinkWink hosts a space next door called the Side Piece Studio where private/community events and live music take place.

On Thursday, Feb. 13, WinkWink is hosting “Schmexy Fest,” a pre-Valentine’s Day party that’s described as a little sexy and a little fun. Non-alcoholic cocktails, crafts for friends, a cherry stem tying station and flash tattoos are some of the many things that will be featured.

WinkWink will be open late until 9 p.m. on Valentine’s Day and will be giving away free lube and massage oil while supplies last.

The last two days will involve movement, with a partnered chair dance workshop on Feb. 15, followed by couple’s gentle partner yoga on Sunday, Feb. 16.

Visit WinkWink’s website for more information on events at the boutique, it’s Side Piece Studio or other locations around Bellingham.

 

We are Whatcom is a weekly column featuring Whatcom County residents making a positive impact on the community. To submit a Whatcom County resident to be featured, click here.