At Early to Bed we are committed to helping people of all genders and orientations explore their sexuality to the fullest. In our comfortable and safe environment, we provide quality sex toys and accessories as well as access to the most current information about sex and sexuality. It is our mission to spread the good word about positive sexuality to as many people as we can through our shop, website, and various outreach events.
In September 2001 Early to Bed opened shop on Chicago’s north side. We felt that Chicago was in dire need of a safe, welcoming place where women (and people of all genders) could shop for quality sex toys. Knowing that many people were uncomfortable in “traditional” adult stores, we felt that by creating a sex-positive, woman/trans-friendly shop, more people would feel comfortable taking control of their sexual selves and finding new ways to experience pleasure with their partners and on their own. Our shop is staffed by people who take their sex toys seriously and are able to honestly answer questions about toys and sex in general. We help people from all walks of life find toys, books, accessories and information to help them have happier, healthier erotic lives.
Since opening the shop, EtB has not only provided sex toys and information to countless people, but also has worked hard to spread our sex-positive message everywhere we can. We offer workshops on a wide-range of topics and we give sex-positive talks and lectures at colleges, social groups, and community events. EtB is an active supporter of many local and national organizations that promote and support access to healthcare, LGBTQ causes, gender and racial equality, and reproductive justice.
Early to Bed is owned by Searah Deysach and you can reach her directly at [email protected]. She'd love to hear from you, really.
Early to Bed is an independent, queer woman-owned business.
Shopping in our retail store can feel very different that your typical sex toy store. We have designed the shop to be welcoming to people ofallgenders, orientations and experience levels. Our collection is carefully selected and there are testers on the shelves for you to touch and explore. Lubricants and body treats have testers as well, so you can compare slipperiness, taste, and scents. Our shop is staffed by friendly people who can answer your questions and walk you through our collection but who will never use any aggressive sales tactics. We’ll work with you to help you find what is best for you, not just lead you to the most expensive item in the shop.
We are committed to providing a great shopping experience and excellent customer service and we welcome your feedback about your experience at Early to Bed. If you want to see what our customers say about us about us, check out the reviews on Yelp.
Our shop is wheelchair accessible.
Click here to check out our art collection. The art is not for sale but we want to share where it came from with you!
Our clients come from all walks of life! In our shop you’ll find customers of all genders and sexual orientations. We serve customers as young as 18 and are happy to count many seniors citizens among our biggest fans. We have couples who shop together, women who come in with their girlfriends, groups of friends out on the town and plenty of folks browsing and shopping on their own. Lots of our clients have never set foot in an adult shop before and just as many are connoisseurs of sex toys. We try to make our shop accessible to adults of all experience levels, interests, ages and relationship statuses. If you are wary of shopping in an adult store, we can make you feel comfortable and relaxed. If you have lots of experience with adult stores, we think you will like what we have to offer.
Over the years we have garnered a pretty good reputation resulting in Early to Bed being named Chicago’s Best Sex shop by the Chicago Reader in almost every year there has been a Best Sex Shop category and by New City Magazine in 2003 and the Audience Choice: Best Sex Shop in 2008. We were nominated for an O Award for Outstanding Boutique in 2010 and named one of the Top 50 Retailers by AVN Magazine in 2011 and Nominated for an AVN award in 2012 & 2019. EtB was nominated for Independent Retailer of the Year from Storeotica in 2020 and Boutique Retailer of the Year from Xbiz in 2021 and 2023. We were thrilled to be named Best Boutique by AVN Magazine in 2016
Many years ago while shopping for sex toys at a store filled with tacky blow-up dolls, raunchy gag gifts and walls of over-priced vibrators, I asked the sales person a simple question about lube. The question was met with a blank stare while she grabbed what was closest and said “um… ah…I think this one is good…?”. It wasn’t good at all and it was at that moment that my mission became clear: Chicago needed a sex shop with smart staff people, fair prices and a warm, women-friendly environment. I wanted a place where anyone could ask a reasonable question about sexuality and not be met with a snicker or blank stare.
So I spent the next year reading and researching all I could about sex and sex toys and visiting as many “novelty” shops as I could to figure out how to make a better one. In the fall of 2000 I dropped out of graduate school and quit my job so I could pursue my passion and open Chicago’s first women-owned, women-oriented, guy-friendly, queer and trans-positive sex shop. In September 2001, after much research, hard work and almost throwing in the towel on many occasions, Early to Bed was born!
Since then we’ve gone from a quiet shop with a tiny inventory to a store with a diverse (and ever growing) selection of toys, books, leather, oils and gifts. We work hard to support the local women’s and queer communities and with our ongoing workshops and outreach events. We strive to provide a place where people can come to learn more about sex and themselves. It is my hope that Early to Bed will be known as not only a retail store, but as a safe space to explore sexuality and foster a sex-positive community.
I invite you to check out our website, visit our little shop and contact us with any questions you have about sex and sex toys. If you want to see a selection of the press we have received and podcasts I have been on, you can click here and if you ever want to reach me directly, you can do so at [email protected].
Peace and good lovin’,
Searah
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Accessibility Statement: Early to Bed is committed to making our website's content accessible and user friendly to everyone and we are currently reviewing how we can make the site more accessible. If you are having difficulty viewing or navigating the content on this website, or notice any content, feature, or functionality that you believe is not fully accessible to people with disabilities, please email us at [email protected] with “Disabled Access” in the subject line and provide a description of the specific feature you feel is not fully accessible or a suggestion for improvement. We take your feedback seriously and will consider it as we evaluate ways to accommodate all of our customers and our overall accessibility policies. Additionally, while we do not control such vendors, we strongly encourage vendors of third-party digital content to provide content that is accessible and user friendly.
Photo of Searah by Jamie Kelter Davis