From classics to cutting edge

>> A print porn shopper's guide

Despite the general decline in printed porn, there is still a vast selection of material available. Basically, what it boils down to is the whim of the retailer, and shops have a lot of choice in selecting what they want to provide their clientele. There are niche markets for gay porn, over-40 porn, barely-18 porn, transvestite porn and vintage porn. And the self-censorship practices of some retail outlets would have us believe that there is even a niche for no porn.

What follows is a look at the different kinds of retail outlets and what they make available.

BOOKSTORES

Chapters (1171 Ste-Catherine West)

Stop at Chapters to pick up a copy of Newsweek, NHL Yearbook, Let's Get Married or Dollhouse Miniatures. But don't expect to find any skin mags. At least not Perfect 10 or Hustler.

They do carry Photo, normally replete with "artistic" images of models in the buff and spreads by Helmut Newton, a photographer with a penchant for femmes fatales and leather. They also carry an interesting array of biker mags like Quick Throttle, which feature nudie big-busted beauties on motorcycles. Don't miss October's Biker: An Easy Rider Magazine cover story entitled "Sweet hogs and nice ass."

No one from Chapters returned phone calls to comment on their adult magazine policy.

Indigo (large Toronto-based bookstore chain opening a superstore in Place Montreal Trust in November)

Here is a conversation with purchasing executive Dan Mozersky of Indigo:

What is your policy on adult magazines?

"We don't have a policy."

Do you carry adult magazines?

"No."

How was that decision made?

"It wasn't a decision. It hasn't been made."

When asked to explain:

"It's not a form of censorship. We are upholders of freedom of expression. If there are 1.5 million books in print and we only carry 100,000. It's freedom of choice. It does not infringe on anyone else's freedom."

USED

Mars (537 Ste-Catherine West, upstairs)

This place is as dingy as it gets. It's dirty. It's disorganized. It has an odour all its own. But it's the perfect store for a patient person with a penchant for back-issue skin mags. If you squeeze past the collector's vinyl and other memorobilia and sift through the stacks, you'll find an amazing assortment of mags, some dating back to the '60s. You even may happen upon the 1974 20th Anniversary issue of Playboy or Sweden's Study of Sexual Intercourse (fully illustrated). Other gems include Gent: Home of the D-cups (1985), 40+ (1988), and Stacked (featuring "awesome aureole").

SEX BOUTIQUE

Club Sexe (11 Ste-Catherine West)

Everything is shrink-wrapped, so there's no casual peeking at the centerfolds.

The mags are more or less displayed by topic. There is a bondage section with mags like Tied & Tickled, Rope Burn and Knotty. A large gay porn section featuring Ass Humpers, Two Hunks in Heat and Gay Directory. The transvestite mags include Hot She-Male Harlots and Girly Men. And there's a jizz section with Cum Fever, Cum Passion and Joy Juice.

NEWSSTAND CHAIN

Multimags (various locations)

This newsstand chain carries all the staple porn, but nothing very racy: Celebrity Skin, Swank, Hustler's Barely Legal, Amateur Porn and High Society. They also have a handful of gay mags like Hot Young Hunks and Anal Action.

Indicative of the trend in porn media, a shelf in front of the magazines holds a selection of CD-ROMs such as Nutts About Butts, European Centerfolds and 2 Hung 2 Tung.

INDEPENDENT NEWSSTAND

Mediaphile (1901 Ste-Catherine West)

The middle ground. They feature a broad selection of porn and they're not afraid to show it. They've got ethnic porn, gay porn, "mature" porn. It's a clean, friendly shop and the owners aren't shy about featuring skin mags front and centre (but within legal regulations). They sell cigars and birthday cards, but almost 10 per cent of their revenue comes from adult magazine sales. Martin Gringat, who owns Mediaphile with his brother Franklin, says they avoid tucking the skin mags into a corner because hiding the skin mags gives the impression that "we don't approve, but we want your money anyway."

-Dominique Ritter