Venus Envy wants you to come… to their 15th anniversary party!

Venus Envy, Ottawa’s education-oriented sex shop, is celebrating the Big One on January 30th, marking 15 successful years in O-town.

It’s easy to escape Ottawa’s bitter winter chill by hibernating your weekends away, but attending Venus Envy’s big bash is the perfect way to add some much needed heat to your Saturday night. It’s a perfect excuse to get out from under your warm blankets, off of the couch and out of those cozy pajamas. Don’t be shy to come decked out in something sexy and fun. “Burlesque attire is totally encouraged,” said Venus Envy owner and founder Shelley Taylor.

Venus Envy: photo from the store’s Facebook page.

It was a typical cold, damp and snowy winter day when Taylor spoke about her store’s upcoming anniversary. “Expect a big, sweaty dance party and amazing music,” described Taylor. “Some of my favourite DJs are playing and, oh my god! I’m so excited I just booked Allen Andre!” In addition to Andre, this year’s lineup also includes Toronto’s Marshia Celina, who Taylor described as “a real crowd-pleaser, super talented and a really good show person.”

Some of Taylor’s favourite Ottawa DJs will also be spinning tunes. “DJ Serita who’s kind of a newer DJ, but she’s really good, she’s opening and then there’s a team up after her and then it’s MC Straightedge and DJ Aga, a really, really fun DJ,” said Taylor. “[MC Straightedge and DJ Aga] have this MC-DJ thing going on that’s really fun; they do a lot of funk and Motown, house and pop too.”

(Fun fact: MC Straightedge happens to also be Taylor’s wife.)

Closing the show will be DJ Magnificent. “He’s really popular in Ottawa and just a really great dance DJ,” described Taylor whose enthusiasm for the upcoming soiree is infectious.

Aside from the stellar lineup and amazing tunes why else should someone brace the frigid night air to attend?

“There’s a really great mix of folks, I find,” explained Taylor. “You know how some parties are like, ‘it’s a queer party or it’s a straight party,’ I find the anniversary parties are really mixed.”

There’s also going to be a bootblack corner.

If having your boots buffed, shined and polished tickles your fancy it might a good idea to wear your scruffiest leather soles. A bootblack is best described as someone who has put forth the effort to learn the art and technique of leather care. Once they’ve mastered these skills they usually share them with the leather community or at fundraising events.

“Lot of folks from the kink community come out so Beth is going to be doing her bootblacking thing. It’s a tip of the hat, I suppose, to the kink community who have obviously been very supportive over the years.”

Not contributing to the community would have been so boring.

A simple donation to the Venus Envy Bursary Fund will give you the chance to have your boots done by Beth BootBlack of Ottawa Leather Works. Not only is she a highly skilled professional, but a bootblack champion to boot (pun intended, I couldn’t resist). Beth, who also works part-time at Venus Envy, has described BootBlacking as a “friendly and enthusiastic experience,” which can also be “highly sensual.”

All proceeds from the event will go the Venus Envy Bursary Fund.

Taylor started the collection in Ottawa in 2006 because, as she said, “not contributing to the community would have been so boring.” Kidding aside, the real motivating factor for Taylor was her strong desire to help and connect with the community.

“I wanted to go into retail and I wanted to open this kind of store, but I also felt really strongly about local business owners responding to community needs. And what I felt, at the time, because we were an education-oriented sex shop, I felt that education was a way we could help give back by helping those who are going to school,” explained Taylor, adding that nowadays the Bursary is awarded at least twice a year —both instances for $1,500.

“Last year we gave away four [bursaries] so we donated $6,000 to people studying in the Ottawa area,” said a humble Taylor. “Our minimum is two $1,500 Bursaries and that’s for folks who: A) are having trouble paying for school, which most people are, but B) primarily for folks whose lives kind of reflect the values we (Venus Envy) try and hold.” Those values include community work and activism.

There are many reasons to head out in the cold and into what promises to be a hot and sweaty night come January 30.

Venus Envy’s anniversary party will be taking place Saturday, January 30, 2016, 10:30pm until – 2:30am, at Babylon (317 Bank St.). Accessibility note: Babylon has a very small step at the front door and once inside the whole space is on one level. The bathrooms are large and quite open with medium sized stalls. Tickets are available at Venus Envy (cash only) and online  for $7 in advance.  Door tickets are $10 after 11pm. Nobody turned away due to lack of funds, contact Shelley at venusenvy.ca to arrange. All proceeds go to the Venus Envy Bursary Fund. The event is 19+.