Approximately $58,000 worth of items, including sex toys, lingerie, and the "world's most extravagant vibrator," were stolen from the Sexology Institute in San Antonio last month. Footage from the June 30 burglary posted to the Sexology Institute's Instagram account shows three masked men breaking open the front door of the adult entertainment store before emptying shelves and filling trash bags with hundreds of items, including nearly all of the store's lingerie, sleepwear, toys, lube, accessories, cash register and antiques.
The men reportedly returned to three times to continue ransacking the store, loading the stolen items into a black pickup truck. "We feel incredibly violated and our hearts are broken. As a small business this loss not only impacts us financially but emotionally as well," the July 1 post read. "We know it will get better but even re-watching the videos of what happened makes us so anxiety-ridden. We are so glad no one was hurt and we completely understand things could have been worse, but it's still awful."
Among the items stolen was also the store's beloved "world's most extravagant vibrator," a large, fully functional Swarovski crystal-encrusted vibrator worth $10,000. The 17-inch "artisanal wand," which was propped in a display case, was created exclusively for the Sexology Institute and was an item customers often took photos with when they visited.
Boutique manager Jasper St. James said the burglars left behind books and random pieces, including a single pink dildo. "There really was no rhyme or reason for what they were taking," St. James said. "It was just whatever they could get their hands on."
Having lost thousands of dollars in items, the Sexology Institute was forced to close its physical boutique and online store for a week, including during the Fourth of July weekend, one of the store's busiest holidays. The store accepted donations and held a raffle to raise donations to help reopen, which St. James said went really well.
"That was the one thing out of the whole situation is the support that we got from the community was really helpful," St James said. "The community came together and we had a lot of local vendors who donated goods, services and products to help us raise money while we were closed to rebuild."
However, St. James said the store had to pay completely out of pocket for the missing items and repairs needed following the break-in, adding the store has yet to hear back about its insurance policies.
The Sexology Institute first opened eight years ago as a way for people to safely explore their sexuality. In addition to selling sex toys, lingerie and other products, the Sexology Institute also offers sex coaching, relationship coaching and counseling, and sex-positive educational workshops and events, according to its website.
"We try to help break the stigma of sex and just make it something that's not taboo," St. James said. "Sex shouldn't be something that is considered dirty or taboo. We try to provide a safe, all-inclusive space for people to explore their sensuality and sexuality."
The Sexology Institute isn't a big chain or corporation, St. James said. "We're a small business. We are only here in San Antonio. That's why burglaries like this affect us. We want to be an inclusive, safe space but it's kind of hard when your space has been violated."
Police are still investigating the incident and no arrests have been made. "If anyone has information regarding the burglars or anything like that, or if something looks familiar to them, please contact the San Antonio Police," St. James said. "And if they want to support us, you can shop in-store or visit our website to help us because we're still struggling so any help would be greatly appreciated."
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