new york's most feminist zine shop just opened in a laundromat

There is no shortage of either laundromats or sex stores in New York City, but there is definitely a shortage of good laundromat sex stores. Combining the two might sound like a recipe for disaster, but the 24-hour Mermaid Laundromat on Bushwick's Knickerbocker Avenue proves otherwise. Granted, Troll Hole isn't just any sex store inside a laundromat. It's a pro-intersectional feminist, queer, small business that also sells chapbooks, zines, stickers, and tote bags. The store's Instagram advertises the gay manga book Fisherman's Lodge by Gengoroh Tagame and the brilliant pamphlet Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by 27-year-old Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsaw Shire. Orange Is the New Black actress and Bushwick resident Lea DeLaria is already a loyal customer.

Troll Hole's owners are three Bushwick locals — Hayley Blatte, Justin Shock, and Monica Yi — who were dissatisfied by the lack of fun IRL spaces that sold such things. The peculiar choice of location was born from a desire to work with the local community. The proceeds from Troll Hole's opening party went to the victims of the devastating fire that ripped through DeKalb Avenue two-and-a-half months ago, while buying a slushie from the Latin couple outside can get you 10% off in-store. Though of course being installed inside a laundromat also makes for notable interactions with people rolling in at 10pm to wash their clothes. The three owners all have day jobs, meaning the store's hours are as unpredictable as its wares. We spoke to Blatte, Shock, and Yi about gentrification, privilege-based price points, and how to get involved.

What do you all do in your day jobs, and why did you decide to launch this project?
Our day jobs cater to the creative industry machine. We spend most of our time at work daydreaming about a type of feminist utopia devoid of white supremacist cis hetero capitalist patriarchy. We wanted to launch Troll Hole because, well — have you been into any other pro-intersectional feminist and sex-positive shops in the city? Sex shops are either sterile or cheesy; they can be inaccessible. Most (both IRL and URL) cater to rich white folks who can spend $250 on a prostate tickler for their bearded husband, or they cater to bachelorette parties. Minus Bluestockings — which we are such big fans of — every other zine and bookstore in the city is a sausage fest and also caters to a specific post art-school audience. There was just nowhere cool to get lube, poppers, and feminist-related "stuff" — which is unacceptable in NYC. So we made one.

Why did you decide to launch in a laundromat?
It was a cute space, it was all we could afford, it provided a captive audience of bored launderers, it just seemed right. It was pretty much equidistant from our apartments at the time too. Also, why not?

What has been the reaction of the laundromat workers and people just coming in to do their laundry?
The laundromat workers are pretty awesome. Shout out to Mia and her niece Jolina! I hope they think we're funny and nice... We try to be respectful tenants. The people doing their laundry — it's such a mixed bag. There's a lot of random dudes, some more receptive than others... A lot of native Bushwick residents are supportive. This woman named Ingrid Marquez came by and donated this huge Clarice Lispector book. Another woman came in and gave us her original copy of Hot Pantz: DIY Gynecology Herbal Remedies (1995) by the Blood Sisters.

What gave you the idea to sell dirty and gently worn undergarments by Troll Hole friends?
Demand creates supply, you know?

Troll Hole's opening party, by Nik Adams of @womanhood

In what way do prices reflect the gender and racial pay gap?
Generally speaking, white women make around 78 cents for every dollar earned by white men. Some women, specifically Hispanic/Latinas make as little as 55 cents to the dollar. It's 2016 and it's all still really fucked. So the first thing we did was charge for condoms and offer free pads and tampons — did you know "feminine hygiene" products are taxed? In general, we keep prices low, sometimes under the list price, because it ain't easy out there! Most of our zines are around $5, some are free. Most of the local product we carry is handmade by women to support that economy. We just got these cool Bush Bombs (bath bombs) from Embrace Your Nakedness. They're made in Long Island. I don't know, maybe we can reprogram the register to charge based on privilege, like this book is $10 if you're a woman of color, $11 if you're a white woman, or $20 if you're a white man. Wouldn't that be great?

What other initiatives are you involved in around the neighborhood?
Most recently we participated with Arts in Bushwick for their Community Day which was great. The recent fire on DeKalb Avenue was really devastating. You lose everything in a fire, so we had a little raffle and gave the money to one of the many residents who needed some financial support. We found out about the fire from a great organization called Mi Casa No Es Su Casa: Illumination Against Gentrification. We also hosted a Mother's Day Brunch with the fantastic women behind We Feed NYC, which was so great. There are so many strong women — especially moms — out there doing so much despite displacement. A woman named Natalie Silvera spoke about homelessness and her daughter. These women are literally turning trauma and pain into something constructive and positive.

What are you looking for in potential collaborators and how can they get in touch?
We're looking for: feminist women of color who write, create art, make products, produce zines; gay guys who wish it was still the 70s; queers; hairy women; sex educators; people in any of these socioeconomic groups that do screen printing or risograph printing. They can email us at trollholenyc@gmail.com or stop by the store and say hey. Our hours vary, check Instagram.

On Thursday June 16 from 6 - 9pm, Troll Hole is hosting an event with Los Angeles artist Jeromy Velasco. All proceeds will go to the victims and families of the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.

Credits

Text Hannah Ongley
Photos courtesy of Troll Hole