Meet The Ladies Room
- Location: 1250 Bethlehem Pike Hatfield, Pa.
- Owner: Dolores Benford
- Years as X2PS Client: 4 years
- Favorite thing about X2PS: Personal touch
The Entrepreneur on #OwningIt:
“It feels so good because women come back a week or two later and hug me and say ‘You saved my life! I can’t believe something so simple could help me!’
“ —Dolores Benford, Owner
HATFIELD, PA —Even in an age of sexual and reproductive health awareness, some people still get squeamish about exploring their sexual health needs.
Dolores Benford is anything but shy when it comes to the topic of women’s sexual health. She turned her lingerie boutique, The Ladies Room, into a safe-haven for women and men of all walks of life to discuss their needs.
“The Ladies Room is a lingerie store. We also sell adult products. We’re all about women’s sexual health and safety, so everything we sell is certified safe for your body,” Benford explains.
Dolores is well-educated and knowledgeable on women’s sexual health, and is especially conscious of the ingredients that make up the products in her store.
“If you go to a drugstore or department store and look at ingredient labels [for sexual health items], you’ll see parabens and chemicals that you’re inserting into your body. … Everything we sell is body safe and don’t include cancer causing ingredients.”
Even local OB/GNYs and markets with customers looking for specific non-prescription sexual health products point them in the direction of The Ladies Room as the safest and most reliable source of adult products in the area.
“A lot of my customers are nurses who read the labels on adult products and say ‘This has cancer causing preservatives… You really shouldn’t put those directly on soft body tissue!’” Benford says.
With all of its natural products, The Ladies Room is able to provide answers and alternatives for women with allergies, going through menopause, cancer, or surgery that may complicate their sex life. Dolores can even make recommendations for women whose partners are experiencing medical issues that change their bedroom habits.
“There’s not a lot of places where women can go [for this kind of advice]. I have women come in that say their doctors don’t even want to discuss these things with them,” Benford laments. “It feels so good because women come back a week or two later and hug me, and say ‘You saved my life! I can’t believe something so simple could help me!’”
Since many of the women who seek out The Ladies Room are looking for guidance and understanding, it’s important to Benford that the atmosphere of the shop is that of a calming, upscale boutique, so her customers feel comfortable enough to discuss sensitive topics.
“It’s not like walking into a store where there’s a young guy behind the counter with tattoos and piercings manning the viewing booths, and here’s this 50 or 60 year old woman looking to talk about her sex life with somebody. They want someone that they feel knows what they’re going through.”
For Benford, offering women’s sexual health items in a stress-free atmosphere that you can’t get anywhere else was really the drive behind founding The Ladies Room. She explored a few different retail environments before The Ladies Room was founded, but once she noticed that their lingerie was outselling their other products, Benford knew she’d found her niche.
“I’m the owner and I personally buy all of our merchandise myself. I’m 100% knowledgable about every single item in my store so people can feel comfortable asking me about items they’re interested in,” Benford says.
Benford takes pride in being personally invested in the customer service of her business, so she really appreciates when her payment system, Capital Direct and X2 Payment systems, take customer service just as seriously.
“It’s the first time we worked with a credit company that we actually had someone local who, if we had an issue, could come in right away and help you—without making 50 phone calls and being put on hold. It’s nice to have that personal touch where it feels like you know that person. You know you’ll be taken care of.”
