A Walk Through The Bedroom

A walk through The Bedroom with Chantal Marie-Laurence Edouard-Betsy

One of the co-founders of the Bedroom sat down and spoke to Lady Guru about how it all got started.

Nestled in the picturesque, vibrant and ultra-cool Umhlanga Rocks, The Bedroom is a sensual, boudoir boutique for women, specialising in the art of pleasure.  If you haven’t already had The Bedroom experience, you should definitely put it on the top of your to do list and fast! Upon entering the boutique you are hit with a sensual smell that arouses your senses, the seductive lingerie sprinkled around and the kinky toys for the more adventurous are tastefully displayed. You feel like you are browsing in your friend’s bedroom. Chantal, Hilda and Jo have a wealth of knowledge that could reignite any suppressed sensuality. More importantly, these girls know how to read you, make you feel comfortable and you’ll have an experience that you won’t forget which will make you keep coming back for more.  We sat down with Chantal and asked her how it all began.

1) How did you get started?

Chantal and Hilda first met when they worked together in the IT industry, having been retrenched they kept in contact over the years and pursued different ventures. They met a number of times over the next 15 years to have a giggle over a few glasses of wine.  One of the many discussions was about how the pleasure industry neglected to cater for women. There was nowhere for women to go to purchase toys, and sexy lingerie without having to go to a seedy area and being served by a man who didn’t look like he knew anything about women’s pleasure. Hilda read an article in the May 2007 Cosmo about how Erotica was going posh in cities like JHB and CPT and classy and tasteful boutiques were opening up around the country but the KZN ladies unfortunately had to shop on line for pleasure items. A light bolt moment ensued and exactly 1 week later Hilda and Chantal were presenting their Mood Board to the landlords of the space that has become the bedroom.

2) What is your background?

Chantal studied Environmental science worked in IT and used her flair for style to make money riding the property wave while turning and developing houses.  No retail background here, although Chantal feels that all things in the past have led to this point. An opportunity to touch as many women as possible and watch them grow and blossom has given her more satisfaction than monetary reward.

3) What are your passions

Chantal feels passionate about helping women develop, and reaching their full potential. Having the Bedroom has given her a voice and an opportunity to reach other women who are stifling their inner sex goddess, she talks about a customer that was very shy at first but after each visits and each purchase the customer seemed to blossom and move to the next stage in her sexual evolution which is embracing the sex goddess within.

She is passionate about sex and sexuality. Chantal tells us that her family are her support and biggest fans (She mentions that her 80 year old grandmother sews the satin hangers for the shop) her two Jack Russell’s, Jessy and Porkchop are her sanity and her girlfriends her sanctuary.

4) The tough times

A few short months after opening the block, that is The Bedroom’s home, it went through a complete rebuild, there were days were Chantal and Hilda couldn’t get into the shop and that’s when the online shop came about. It took 1 and half years to finish and was not an ideal situation for a new business. But they made it and came out smiling.  The image of glamorous females, undeterred, tottering over wooden planks to seek some salvation tickled us!

5) The good times

Chantal says that despite being retail virgins, the boutique has been an amazing success. She mentions that the 8 weeks they were given to open, were exhilarating she resembles a proud mom when she talks about the boutique.  Yes there have been awards, but what stands out when talking to one of the co-founders of the bedroom-is that Chantal is living up to her full potential as a women and their really is nothing more sexy than that.  They can boast such awards as “Local Retailer of the Year”, “Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year” from the Business Woman’s Association and Top 10 in the “SA Blog Awards”.

And Chantal’s final words “We have achieved more than we ever expected. We are always innovating, and there are always areas to improve on, you can’t lose sight of the bigger picture. We are the best at what we do”.

For more information and contact details, go to www.thebedroom.co.za. Further to our interview with Chantal, things have really moved at a fast pace. Two weeks ago they gave birth to their first franchise, all you ladies up the hill will be pleased to know that The Bedroom is now in Hillcrest, in the Heritage Market. We were lucky to attend the opening of the shop and it looks and feels as fantastic as the original. May it be the first of many.

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   Ashleigh says:

   February 22, 2011 at 4:14 pm

   Planning a ladies night at the end of this month at The Bedroom in Hillcrest with Pole Dancing - cannot wait for some fun time with my girls

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     Charma says:

     February 23, 2011 at 10:31 pm

     It sounds like such fun Ash and if I wasnt with Bump I would most certainly be joining you all -have fun and let us know how it goes!!!

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