The Munich collective Consent Calling is currently raising money for a sex store on Startnext. What may not sound very exciting at first glance is actually quite exciting. The planned sex store is set to become more than just an offline version of Amorelie. Find out exactly what the collective is planning and how you can support the team in the interview.

MunichMag: You are currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Startnext to raise money for your planned sex store in Munich. What will distinguish your future sex store from others and what will you offer there?

Constent Calling: Cool, that's the right question to start with! Our sex store will actually be much more than a sex store. We mainly want to create a space where people can come to terms with (their) sexuality without being restricted by otherwise prevailing norms and feelings of shame. The sale of sex toys and other products (body-related) is of course part of this. This also includes individual advice that can alleviate insecurities.

But we don't just want to provide access to sexuality in this one way. We want to create a place where people can exchange ideas in order to confront insecurities and curiosity in a very open way. In addition, a feminist approach to the topic should help to recognize, question and combat existing social structures.

We want to offer literature in the store itself and set up a reading corner. Educational work is a central part of our project and we are already very active in this area. We organize workshops and themed evenings. Once we have our own space, we definitely want to invite external people to hold readings, workshops or other events here.

Our approach is therefore to create new approaches to sexuality in very different ways - by dealing with one's own lust, exploring theoretical approaches, exchanging ideas with others or trying out new things in practice.

Are there any criteria that products have to meet in order to make it into your range?

Of course, we want to offer products that are produced fairly and sustainably, using materials that are safe for the body and easy to clean. However, we see the danger here that we will only sell products that are relatively expensive - and that the prices will become a major hurdle for many people. That is why we will try to create a mixture here.

© Consent Calling

In general, we will also pay attention to certain things when presenting our product range. For example, we don't want to offer products "for women" or "for men", but rather sort them according to application, i.e. function and type of product. We also don't want to display any normative body and sex images on the packaging in our store, but rather display a sample of each product unpacked. This way, we can avoid these images if they do appear on the packaging of individual products. At the same time, it gives you the opportunity to hold the toys in your hand and try out the vibration, material and similar features.

Who do you want to address with Consent Calling?

Ideally, we want to reach all people who want to deal with their sexuality in some way. In particular, we would like to use our project to invite people who may not yet have found their own access to feminism to deal with issues relating to feminism and sexuality. But we don't have a fixed target group. Everyone is welcome!

And who is behind the Constent Calling collective?

The core collective currently consists of seven people. However, we are growing all the time and are always adapting to the capacities of the collective members. In this way, we try to create a solidary way of working that leaves room for individual skills and needs. So we try to look out for each other, treat each other with empathy and be there for each other - even outside of our work in the collective.

© Consent Calling

However, we are also in the process of setting up a support structure to give more people the opportunity to contribute to the creation of the space. Especially people who cannot simply put 10-20 hours a week into this project on a voluntary basis should have the opportunity to get involved. We are also aware that we can only gather a limited range of perspectives and want to use this structure to facilitate access so that people can contribute further perspectives.

You have already cracked your first funding target. What steps follow a successful crowdfunding campaign?

With the 14,400 euros, we have reached our first crowdfunding level. That is already a huge amount of support and we are delighted that the project has met with so much approval from the people of Munich.

Unfortunately, Munich is incredibly expensive. And our project - which is not designed to make a profit - has to pay for itself somehow. We need at least 20,000 euros to be able to look for a space and find a long-term location for our project. Otherwise, the risk that we would then have to take on privately is too great. If we want to be able to pay for the furnishings, rent, goods, workshops, etc. with a bit of a buffer (the store won't be completely self-supporting for the first few months), the 14,400 euros won't be enough.

We will use this money to continue working on our educational program and look for a form of interim use. Perhaps we will open a pop-up store. Depending on how much money we end up raising through crowdfunding, we can plan our next steps and think more short-term or long-term.

Apart from crowdfunding, is there any other way to support you?

We have already addressed the circle of supporters. Anyone who is interested in supporting us more than through crowdfunding is welcome to contact us! You can do this either directly via our website, by email, or Instagram and Twitter. We are happy to hear from anyone who wants to help us move our project forward.

And of course you can also help us by sharing the campaign!

Are there any sites or stores that are your role models and that you can recommend?

A lot!

Our direct role models are Fuck Yeah in Hamburg, Other Nature in Berlin and Juicy in Leipzig. All three are feminist sex store collectives that have created three cool places. If you're ever in these cities, you should definitely stop by.

Freiburg is also home to the Erogene Zone collective. They have just successfully completed their crowdfunding and will hopefully be opening their store in Freiburg soon.

We are definitely trying to network together to learn from and support each other. Feminist greetings go out to all the lovely people in this collective.

This content has been machine translated.