Video: Soho's Sex Shop Made From Felt

By Londonist Last edited 97 months ago
Video: Soho's Sex Shop Made From Felt

Warning: This video contains images of a sexual (albeit felt) nature.

Lucy Sparrow first came to our attention when she knitted replicas of famous artworks. When she created a corner shop made from felt, her popularity really took off — with people queueing round the block to see sewn version of newspapers and tins of spam.

Now Lucy has returned, this time with a felt — wait for it — sex shop, located, where else, but Soho. Visitors can buy condoms, sex toys and S&M gear, all sewn by hand. There's even a felt 'peep show' downstairs. That's the kind of thing you really have to see to understand.

"We've had to eject a couple of people so far, who don't think we're a proper sex shop, and don't realise what's going on," Lucy told us.

The shop is a lot of fun, but there's also a personal story behind it; Lucy used to work as a lap dancer and this is her way of challenging the negative attitudes many people hold towards this industry and those who work in it.

"I think we have a backwards attitude towards sex in Britain," she says, "It doesn't seem to be out in the open as with other countries like the Netherlands where they have quite a healthy attitude towards sex, and yes they have a thriving sex industry, but they have lower rates of teenage pregnancy.

"So I think that repression and covering up and making people too scared and shy to talk about it doesn't help anyone... talking helps."

Lucy has been pondering on the idea of a sex felt shop since 2011, and it took five months of intensive sewing to make it happen. The shop is on the site of a hair salon, who have let Lucy take over for a limited amount of time.

Madame Roxy's the Felt Sex Shop is open until 17 October 2015, at 2 Green's Court, Soho W1F 0HB

By Tabish Khan and Geoff Marshall

See our video of Lucy's corner shop made from felt

Last Updated 09 February 2016