Store Expansion

STORE EXPANSION

When we took over the AfterDark Fantasies on January 1, 2014 the store looked pretty much the same as it did when it opened 12 years earlier. Tina and I wanted to redecorate and rebrand it, with a new look, new feel and make it a place anyone would be comfortable shopping.

Our first step was deciding if we were going to stay in the same location or move the store, so we explored our options.

We decided it would be best to stay in the same shopping center, but move to the vacant suite on the end of the building. This would serve several purposes:

1. It would give us a private entrance so customers would be more comfortable, even before getting in to the store.

2. We would be able to decorate the way we want and the store could remain open for business, rather than be closed for renovations.

3. We had heard rumors that the antique store next to us was going to close, which would give us an opportunity to expand and double the size of the store.

4. Customers would be able to park in the back and walk around to the front of the store much easier than being in the middle of the building.

Phase one, the initial move was complete by May 1, 2014. We moved in to the new, classier, more comfortable store and haven't looked back!

In August, we were told the antique store would be closing at the end of the month. We negotiated with the landlord and struck a deal that was beneficial for us all, to expand in to the now empty suite. So mid September we began the process of turning the old antique store in to the fetish side of AfterDark Fantasies. Once we got most of the painting done, the next step was knocking down part of the wall between the two suites. Originally we were just going to remove the part of the wall that had been open when Curves was here, but ended up making it much larger, leaving only the load bearing part of the front of the brick in the front.

This new side of the store would be home to our fetish products, geared towards the kinkier side of things. This is where you will find all those fun things they talk about in "50 Shades of Gray", wink, wink. We also added a lounge room. The lounge room will be able to to be used by customers for private parties instead of having them at their homes and I am sure we will find many other uses for it in the future. We have also added a line of wood toys and paddles that are handcrafted right here in Michigan, by a Marine Veteran and a line of metal BDSM products also handcrafted in Michigan by a local man.

Check out the pictures! If you haven't been to the ALL NEW AfterDark Fantasies, what are you waiting for? Come see us!