The world of "Adult Bookstores" can be kind of a pain to navigate for those of us who aren't dirty old men, but Show World seems to be able to straddle the line pretty well; I'm sure a lot of their business comes from those dirty old men, but the store on Mount Read Blvd is well-equipped to handle men, women, and couples who are looking for a little excitement in their lives. The store is well-lit, spacious, and has a lot of products to choose from- the normal novelties like you'd find at Spencer's, a large selection of vibrators for women AND men, a selection of cute lingerie and shoes, and a few assorted BDSM items. There's also a passable selection of print items, and a huge selection of adult DVDs both for purchase and for rent, divided conveniently into different sections (for those of you with very specific pornographic tastes). At the front counter, there's also a head shop, which seems to be the norm for these kinds of adult stores around central NY.
There's even a RealDoll on display, which I found kind of fascinating- I've never seen one in real life before.
All in all, this is about as good as it can get when it comes to an adult store in Central NY- it could be a lot more gay/lesbian friendly, which is why I've only given it 5 stars, but it is a far cry from the sleazy back-alley type stores you might be used to when in search of sex toys and pornography. It's worth noting that the DVD/Magazine area is separated somewhat from the toy/lingerie section, which is a plus, because I think each section tends to attract different types of people who might not be completely comfortable with one another. The staff is helpful, friendly, and doesn't make you feel uncomfortable- they're also knowledgeable and non-judgmental.
I believe there are also private viewing booths in this location to preview DVDs and also to watch what I presume are pornography channels, but I didn't try those out and probably won't; I'll come here for specific items and possibly the occasional DVD or magazine. read more