25 Things You Didn’t Know About Smitten Kitten

1. The total start-up cost for Smitten Kitten was just $30,000 in 2003.

2. Inga Muscio’s book “Cunt” inspired our start-up philosophy.

3. We learned the organizational and research skills it took to open Smitten Kitten in the Minnesota State University, Mankato Women’s Studies program.

4. Jennifer (that’s me) is the sole owner of Smitten Kitten. Jessie and Jessica are both doing other things now.

5. The Smitten Kitten serves Peace Coffee for free to customers (when we have a fresh pot brewed)

6. We teach workshops about feminist entrepreneurship and consult start-up businesses.

7. In addition to being Smitten Kitten team members, our staff are also talented in other areas: we have a professional midwife, an improvisational comedian, a women’s health advocate, a teacher, and an illustrator on staff.

8. Smitten kitten never hosts any gender-exclusive events- that means that we don’t do any “women only” workshops. People of all genders are always welcome all of the time!

9. We are members of Twin Cities Quorum, our local glbt chamber of commerce as well as NGLCC the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

10. We have had three different websites since we opened in 2003.

11. We had a knitting group that met in the store every Sunday morning for 2 1/2 years, now we’re starting a new parent’s group called “Sexy Mama’s Sunday Mornings”.

12. Smitten Kitten was a special guest of Sweden’s pride festival in Stockholom in 2006 where we introduced Outlaw Leather strap-on harnesses in Europe for the first time.

13. The Eroscilator is a popular staff favorite vibrator at The Smitten Kitten

14. We receieved a terroristic threat in 2003 after we “came-out” about the issues with toxic toys in the adult toy industry.

15. We have had two pet hamsters who lived with us in the store, Cooter and Anna. We loved them dearly.

16. Smitten Kitten offers benefits and health insurance for employees, domestic partners and their families, who work more than 28 hours per week.

17. The first toy the Smitten Kitten ever sold was a Fun Factory, Dinky Digger. We sold it over the phone to my mother in Alabama.

18. $pread Magazine is the only magazine we sell at The Smitten Kitten

19. Smitten Kitten has a FaceBook page and a fan site at “TsK Minneapolis” and “Fans of The Smitten Kitten”

20. The furthest any customers have driven specifically to come to the Smitten Kitten is 456 miles- from Winnipeg

21. We have shipped sex toys to every continent except Antarctica

22. One time the US Postal Service returned a package to us because the addressee was deceased.

23. About three or four people per month come in the store because they think we’re a pet store.

24. My friend Megan Hoogland owned a tattoo shop and she mentored us about owning a business as women in a male-dominated industry. She also let us use her office to start up Smitten Kitten before we had a place of our own. See: http://www.meganhoogland.com

25. Our store was broken into once and the theives stole cash out of the register but forgot to bring a bag or think to grab a shopping bag to put the money in. They tried to run with it (mostly change) after the alarm sounded and proceeded to drop most of it in the street as they were running away.