Xandria Collection
Xandria was one of the largest distributors of
Xandria History
Xandria was founded in 1974 by Gaye Raymond, a
The original Xandria Collection offered mostly educational adult videos and books, as well as
The company's guarantee of privacy, product quality and personal satisfaction helped it develop a following among the general public, especially among those who didn't want to be seen entering their local porn shop.[3]
Xandria's products were shipped in discreet packages that did not bear the company's name. Customers could request a refund within 60 days if they were not satisfied with their sex toys for any reason.[4]
Gaye and Roy Raymond sold the Xandria Collection in 1984 and the company's inventory was expanded to appeal to the general public. In addition to a catalog for people with disabilities, the company began selling
The company's new owners also created an advisory board of health and sex experts. Members included sex educator, activist and author Betty Dodson; journalist and author Michael Castleman,[5] who penned the Playboy Magazine Advisor from 1991 to 1995; and clinical psychologist Louanne Cole, who now serves as resident expert for WebMD's "Sex Matters."
Xandria was initially headquartered in San Francisco. It moved to Brisbane, California in 1993 and to its final location in the Las Vegas Valley in 2005.
In 1997, the company launched Xandria.com, one of the first online stores dedicated to selling sex toys and adult videos.[6] The site and the company itself have generated positive press from well-known publications such as Playboy,[7] Esquire,[8] Hustler, and Men's Fitness.[9]
In its final phase, customers could order items through the mail and by calling a toll free number, but most of the company's sales were generated through its website. Xandria did not have a physical store. Xandria.com carried a long list of sex-related items, as well as articles on sexual health written by well-known authors.
Several sex toys from the Xandria Collection were featured in the 2007 film Stash, an indie comedy starring Tim Kazurinsky and Marilyn Chambers. The film is about "Discreet Removals," a company that will remove people's stashes of pornography and sex toys after their death, so that unsuspecting spouses and family members can "concentrate on grieving".[10] Stash won the 2007 Gold Remi Award for excellence in the category of Mature Audience Narrative Feature"[11] at the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival.
See also
- Sex manual
- Sex shop
- Dildos
- Vibrators
References
- ^ Roy Raymond, 47; Began Victoria's Secret The New York Times, Obituaries, 2 Sept. 1993.
- ^ "Far Northern Regional Center for persons with developmental disabilities". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
- ^ The Kathy and Judy Show Archived June 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine on Chicago's 720 WGN Radio
- ^ "Xandria's 3-Way Guarantee".
- ^ Michael Clastleman’s official website Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ A Little Romance Catalog Age, March 2002.
- ^ "Playboy magazine Advisor". Archived from the original on July 2, 2007.
- ^ Take This Job and… Insert Gently Esquire magazine, Feb. 2001, Vol. 135, No. 2.]
- ^ Bedroom games: with these boudoir contests, the loser can be the winner Men’s Fitness, Sept. 2001.
- ^ "Welcome to Discreet Removals". Discreetremovals.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2007.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Stash[failed verification] Archived June 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine