And
rather than be apologetic about having a sex store, Airs has been respectfully
upfront and visible, and in turn has been embraced by a community that might
have been expected to have a knee-jerk reaction against a sex shop. Airs
is on the Board of Directors of the Brookline Chamber of Commerce and consistently
wins awards for excellent business practices and for her commitment to supporting
the local community.
Prior to opening Grand Opening!, Airs had spent several years working at
Harvard University - along with a little bit of moonlighting as a "working
girl." She has certainly found synergy with her Harvard experience
and her hands on knowledge of sexual desire.
The brightly lit store has become a bit of a hang-out and adult shopping
playground with a great selection of adult toys, but it is the classes and
special events that have really make Kim Airs and Grand Opening! unique.
The classes, which include "Yikes! - Our intro to S/M," "Bisexuality
for the Bicurious Woman," "If Ands, and Butts - Our Anal Sex Workshop,"
and "The Art of Female Domination," are taught by Airs and a hall-of-fame
line-up of the nation's top "sexologists," including writer Carol
Queen (who actually is a sexologist), Fetish Diva Midori, performance artist
Annie Sprinkle and numerous others who've heard the buzz and want to participate.
As Airs explains, "The classes give people the confidence and knowledge
they are seeking to try something they have fantasized about doing but were
never able to ask their friends."
The workshops, and special erotic performances that Airs also produces,
are important not only so people can learn and be encouraged to explore
the full range of sexuality, but also when people attend her events they
see that all these other normal people are there as well. "Yeah, it
makes everything seem less 'weird,' explains Airs. "It's more common
to have a girlfriend who owns a vibrator or have a friend who owns a whip
or leather pants. When you realize the people you spend everyday with (a
partner, coworker, etc.) do 'different' things, it tends to normalize it
and take it out of the closet."
Despite her celebrity status, Airs is also extremely approachable and makes
people comfortable in asking her about sexual exploration. A little over
a year ago she launched her annual, "You Oughta Be in Pictures"
evening - a local amateur erotic video festival at the area's largest art-house
movie theatre. Every show has sold-out the 600-seat theatre. "A lot
of customers said to me, 'ya know, I've always fantasized about seeing myself
having sex on the big screen.' I thought, well there's a need here, and
that's always been my thing that if I get enough questions about something
then there's a need and I fill it.
More than just a local sex goddess, Airs travels around the country and
internationally, leading sexuality workshops at college campuses, at major
sexuality conferences, and fetish festivals. The medical community is also
embracing her expertise, seeking information they need to deal with patients
experiencing issues around sex. Being in public with Airs is guaranteed
to give you a close-up view of the gratitude people feel for her pro-sexuality
mantra and her frank yet entertaining style. She can turn you on and make
you laugh at the same time. "It has changed people's lives and relationships
by taking something they have considered relatively boring and spiced it
up by just allowing them to do something DIFFERENT," explains Airs.
After doing a workshop at the Fetish Fleamarket she was approached by an
area psychotherapist, "who came up to me and he said, 'I just wanted
to tell you how you've changed the lives of so many of my clients.' And
guess what, I started to cry."
What Airs has done is create an environment where "porn" has been
replaced by a non-exploitive environment that fosters excitement, intimacy,
and a whole lot of fun for couples of all orientations.
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