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Mother-daughter duo stares down controversy with new boutique
From the outside, it's hard to see why KK's Temptations has causes such a stir in Old Town Manassas. Situated next to a market and across the street from a cleaner's, the city's newest controversy looks a lot like what it is -- an upscale boutique for women.
In fact, from the outside, the most noticeable thing about the lingerie store is the oversize check in the front window announcing that co-owners Kimberly and Kristina Skokan just donated $120 to Historic Manassas Inc.
The mother-daughter team opened their boutique in October amid a storm of controversy that mother Kimberly Skokan said has been great for business.
“It's better than we expected,” she said of the first few weeks' receipts.
Kimberly Skokan is a real estate agent by trade and her 20-year-old daughter, Kristina, is a student at Northern Virginia Community College.
The two are no strangers to the adult business; they were previously vendors at “adult women's parties” (think Tupperware parties, but with women's products).
During their talks with customers, they realized “there was definitely a need and a desire” for an upscale store that catered to women and couples. the elder Skokan said.
So they decided to go for it.
Skokan said they did their homework by checking out all kinds of adult stores, from the seedy to the exclusive.
“We went to all of them and we knew what we wanted to be and what we didn't,” she said.
What they are is a lingerie store that also sells bachelorette party staples plus a small selection of personal items and instructional videos.
It's also one of the only places in the area where breast cancer survivors can get prosthetics and special bras.
The Skokans are both certified by American Breast Care, a manufacturer of post-mastectomy bras and prosthetics.
Proudly showing off her “ABC” certification pin, Kimberly Skokan said women can call ahead for an appointment and can come in to be fitted in a “private and quiet” environment.
“They share their stories and they're journey with us,” she said.
That's one of the most rewarding parts of the job, she added -- helping cancer survivors to feel better about themselves.
In addition to the breast cancer pieces and lingerie, the rest of the front room is taken up with massage oils, powders and G-rated accessories for bachelorette parties.
There is also a small selection of books: “Love Poems of John Keats,” “Utopia,” by Sir Thomas Moore,” and “Art and Love,” a collection of love poems by the likes of Emily Dickenson and Alfred Lord Tennyson, with accompanying illustrations from works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In essence, the front room looks more like Victoria's Secret than anything else.
It's the back room that has stirred up controversy. Behind a set of swinging doors, the Skokans sell FDA-approved, medical-grade, rechargeable phthalate-free silicone massagers.
It's a mouthful of a description, but the devices (one looks like a computer mouse and another recharges in a USB port) are part of the upscale image that the Skokans are going for.
They also sell instructional videos, along with a selection of “classics” and some that Kimberly Skokan described as “very soft-core for couples.”
The back room also has its own cash register so customers can pay and get their purchases bagged while still behind the closed doors.
Asked whether the Internet offers a lot of competition, Skokan said their demographic prefers not to buy personal items online.
Many people are more concerned about their privacy online than in person, she said, noting that they also don't want strange packages coming to their homes or suspicious-looking charges on their credit cards.
Instead, they prefer to shop in person in a quiet store run by women.
“I think they feel comfortable talking to Kristina and I,” she said. “It's comfortable in here.”
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