Take a trip to Dead End’s famous Red Light District and a number of things are really obvious.  The rubbish piling in the streets due to the current crisis.  The garbage of human life sprawled, dozing and incoherent, littered periodically along the pathways.  The gaudy neon lights.  The discarded condoms and other detritus.  The dark alleys leading to even darker encounters.  And, of course, the ladies without whom such a place would have no purpose.  But look more closely and just along the street from the recently re-opened and now very smart Dark Room, behind one of the open doorways, guarded only by the predictable hanging strips of plastic, lies one of Dead End’s longest established businesses, Spunk R Us, the adult bookstore.

Last Autumn, Spunk came under new management when Cassiel ‘Cas’ West took over with ambitious plans for the development of this Dead End institution.  The Daily News featured Cas and her plans for Spunk at that time; it is fitting that we return to report on her progress.  Your Reporter walks the streets of the Red Light District somewhat nervously and is relieved to enter the comparative sanctuary of Spunk.  Immediately, she is greeted by Cas who is manning her counter in striking style… her tattoos and makeup are uncompromising as is her awesome outfit, from Graves, the ‘speciality’ outfitter.

Cas – Spunk Proprietor

Your reporter walks past the inevitable rows of magazines and DVDs… ‘show me someone who’s not dipped into one of these and I’ll show you a liar’ she thinks to herself, concluding that an adult bookshop’s core business must constitute a steady trade even in these hard times… loneliness and human need are what they are, after all.

I start to talk to Cas about how Spunk has developed over the last few months and find myself surprised that she doesn’t mention the range of magazines, films and ‘accessories’ in the shop at all.  Without delay… her energy is compelling… Cas launches straight into a description of her vision, a place, in her own words to provide “the availability and organized part of adult entertainment.”  This seems an innovative departure for a bookstore so I probe further to ascertain exactly what kind of services are on offer and the answer was most illuminating: “Well, instead of picking up a potential murderer on the side of the road, we have screened girls who can offer anything from lapdances to personal shows.”

It seems that Spunk has developed into so much more than a bookstore.  I look around the building and note that, instead of an office, the room behind the shop is clearly equipped to provide pleasures of the most personal variety, while the well-equipped upstairs studio is set up permanently on a ‘boudoir’ theme.  Flexibility seems to be the key to Cas’ approach to service provision; when I ask about whether the pictures and films made upstairs are for personal use by the client or to be sold downstairs, Cas replies “It’s really both. It’s whatever the customer and employee wants.  I let the girls do whatever they want and I never force them to do anything they don’t.”

I am intrigued by Cas’ liberal approach to both her customers and staff and I ask how she recruits her staff   “For the formal types, I have them fill out a form and for the eager and spoken to, it’s automatic.  If someone is passionate and serious, they are allowed on board. It’s a very self-starting job”.  So ladies, now you know… in these difficult economic times, there’s a potential employer out there who can provide total flexibility about what your job will entail… at the very least, you’d be out of the cold manning a comfortable counter with a supportive employer.

So there you have it.  Spunk – an adult bookstore… and so much more.  I leave the final word to Cas:   “Add the fact that we have free lube here. Like no matter what you buy, or if you need lube. Same with condoms. Safe sex is hot as fuck”.