Purple Passion/DV8 — Local services in New York

I will start off by saying that except for the very inappropriate comments made by one of the employees, the rest of the staff was kind and helpful. I don’t want to be unfair with my rating since it was just one awful employee and the store itself was great with lots of options, hence why I’m not leaving a one star review even though it’s tempting considering how awful I feel currently due to the comment from said employee. I just want to highlight and hopefully the employee can learn how harmful their words are and maybe not jump on people for no reason.

I had picked up a blouse to show my friends when out of nowhere an older employee came up behind me and proceeded to go on about how I had picked up the wrong size (mind you how could he know if it was my size or if it was even for me considering all I did was pick the shirt up and show it to my friend). The employee then proceeded to talk to me like I was stupid and was unnecessarily mean, going on about “Did you even check the size at all? That’s not your size, that’s a 2xl and the size for you is all the way down there.” All I did was pick up a shirt to show my friend and then a second later I’m being yelled at for not picking my own size? I hadn’t check the size as I was just looking at the shirt itself since it had caught my eye, I hadn’t asked to try it on or anything. Simply looking and showing a friend. I understand the concern of someone buying something that’s not their size and taking away from someone else who needs it but I just picked it up to show my friends. I have been plus size for the majority of my life so I understand how hard it is to find cool clothes like this in a wide size range but as someone who has recently lost said weight due to an illness it really wasn’t great having my size highlighted to the whole store and being made out to be stupid and a bad person for simply picking up a shirt and being reminded of something out of my control. It really turned me away from purchasing anything or stopping back in. The people I was with couldn’t believe how unnecessarily rude the interaction was considering the rest of the staff was so kind. It’s like the employee wanted to go out of his way to be rude. Maybe think next time how to better frame your words without being so unkind as you never know what someone is...

I really wanted to love this shop and have a great experience buying lots of cool things. I believe in the importance of having brick and mortar kink-friendly stores and supporting small businesses, and I was really excited to purchase some fun play gear.

That excitement deflated quickly when multiple sales associates seemed disinterested in helping me. I am a shy person, and I asked for help three times from three different people. I made it clear I wanted to try on clothes, but beyond just pointing me towards where things are located, I received no help. Two of them on the floor seemed annoyed that I was interrupting a casual conversation they were having.

I gave up asking for help, and decided to peruse on my own and gathered eight items to try in the fitting room. I am new to latex and corsets and kink wear, and grabbed items that would normally fit me in traditional sizes (I am usually a medium, but have a bigger chest). None of the items fit. At this point, a new sales associate I hadn’t met before offered to measure me for a corset and brought me two that he said were my size, before disappearing. He seemed the most genuine in trying to help, but I never saw him after that. I tried the corsets on but they didn’t fit either. (Perhaps there was user error on my part, but again, no one was there to help me.)

I was so excited to shop here, but feel completely deflated by the unwelcome atmosphere and experience. I would love to give this place another chance with the right help, but otherwise may stick to online shopping for my...

We had a wonderful visit to this store when we visited NYC a few weeks ago. What a wonderful range of apparel, toys, and equipment. Definitely the most extensive in-person selection of leather and latex I’ve ever seen - and for me, buying those kinds of items in a brick-and-mortar store is a must (as opposed to online). All of the employees were very helpful, and one of them helped me pick out the perfect-fitting harness. The leather in particular is absolutely beautiful with handcrafted detailing, I just love my new harness.

This place has a lovely atmosphere - none of the vaguely skeevy or corny vibes that many adult stores are plagued by (i.e., cheap stringy clothes that fall apart after one night out, penis straws for your upcoming bachelorette party, paltry selection of toys, etc). I get the impression that many (if not all) of the folks staffing and running Purple Passion are in the scene, which really comes through in the merchandise, vibe, and assistance that you receive.

What a gem - we will definitely be back during future...