Our retail store is located at 5232 N. Sheridan Rd. on Chicago’s north side. We are right off Lake Shore Drive at the Foster exit. For driving directions, please click here. We are super accessible via the CTA. The Berwyn Red line El stop is just 2.5 blocks west of us. The 136, 146, 147 & 151 buses stop just steps outside our front door.
Street parking can be tricky in this neighborhood (like most of the city), but there are a few 15 minute standing zones in front of our shop that our customers are free to use. There is also usually plenty of metered parking just west of us on Berwyn (at Winthrop) as well as on Broadway. You can always call ahead or order online (select In Store Pick-up for shipping) and we can have your order ready for you for pick up in a snap!
If you want more info on getting here, give us a call.
Store Hours: Tuesday: 12-7pm • Wednesday - Saturday: 12-8pm • Sunday: 12 - 6pm • Closed Monday.
Call us at 773-271-1219 or toll free at 866-585-2BED (2233). Of course you can always e-mail us
We are pleased to offer a 10% student discount and an Adult Industry Professionals Discount. And anyone who shops in our store can collect punches on a Loyalty Club Card… fill the card and you get a $20 Gift Certificate!
What to Expect in Our Shop
Shopping in our retail store can feel very different that your typical sex toy store. We have designed the shop to be welcoming to people of all genders, orientations and experience levels. There are testers of our carefully-select toy collection out for you to touch and explore. Lubricants and body treats have testers as well, so you can compare slipperiness, taste and scents. We have a small section of the store with chairs and copies of our favorite sex-related books for you to check out. In addition to books & DVD’s for sale, we have adult films for rental. We screen all adult films and make sure that what we offer meets our standards. 
Most of our rental dvd’s have notes on the box about what you can expect in the movie. Our shop is staffed by friendly people who can walk you through our collection but who will never use any aggressive sales tactics. We’ll work with you to help you find what is best for you, not just lead you to the most expensive toy in the shop.
We are committed to providing a great shopping experience and excellent customer service and we welcome your feedback about your experience at Early to Bed. If you want to see what our customers say about us about us, check out the reviews on Yelp or Citysearch.
Who Shops at Early to Bed?
Our clients come from all walks of life! In our shop you’ll find customers of all genders and sexual orientations. We serve customers as young as 18 and are happy to count many seniors citizens among our biggest fans. We have couples who shop together, women who come in with their girlfriends, groups of friends our on the town and plenty of folks browsing and shopping on their own. Lots of our clients have never set foot in an adult shop before and just as many are connoisseurs of sex toys. We try to make our shop accessible to adults of all experience levels, interests, ages and relationship status. If you are wary of shopping in an adult store, we can make you feel comfortable and relaxed. If you have lots of experience with adult stores, we think you will like what we have to offer as well.
Over the years we have garnered a pretty good reputation resulting in Early to Bed has being named Chicago’s Best Sex shop by the Chicago reader in 2008, 2011 and by New City Magazine in 2003 and the Audience Choice : Best Sex Shop in 2008. We were nominated for an O Award for Outstanding Boutique in 2010 and named one of the Top 50 Retailers by AVN Magazine in 2011 and Nominated for an AVN award in 2012.
Our Story
In September 2001 Early to Bed opened shop on Chicago’s north side. We felt that Chicago was in dire need of a place where women (and people of all genders) could shop for quality sex toys in a safe, welcoming space. Knowing that many women were uncomfortable in “traditional” adult stores, we felt that by creating a sex-positive, women-oriented shop, more women would feel comfortable taking control of their sexual selves and finding new ways to experience pleasure with their partners and on their own. Our shop is staffed by people who take their sex toys seriously and are able to honestly answer questions about toys and sex in general. We help people from all walks of life find toys, books, accessories and information to help them have happier, healthier erotic lives.
Since opening the shop, EtB has not only provided sex toys and information to countless people, but also has worked hard to spread our sex-positive message everywhere we can. We offer workshops in our store on a wide-range of topics and we host in-home PleasureWare Parties and Private Workshops so people can shop for toys in a fun, party-like atmosphere. We give sex-positive talks and lectures at colleges, social groups and community events. EtB is an active supporter of many local and national organizations that promote and support women’s health and sexual well-being.
a note from the owner
Many years ago while shopping for sex toys at a store filled with tacky blow-up dolls, raunchy gag gifts and walls of over-priced vibrators, I asked the sales person a simple question about lube. The question was met with a blank stare while she grabbed what was closest and said “um… ah…I think this one is good…?”. It wasn’t good at all and it was at that moment that my mission became clear: Chicago needed a sex shop with smart staff people, fair prices and a warm, women-friendly environment. I wanted a place where anyone could ask a reasonable question about sexuality and not be met with a snicker or black stare.
So I spent the next year reading and researching all I could about sex and sex toys and visiting as many “novelty” shops as I could to figure out how to make a better one. In the fall of 2000 I dropped out of graduate school and quit my job to so I could pursue my passion and open Chicago’s first women-owned, women-oriented, boy-friendly, queer and trans-positive sex shop. In September 2001, after much research, hard work and almost throwing in the towel on many occasions, Early to Bed was born! Since then we’ve gone from a quiet shop with a tiny inventory to a store with a diverse (and ever growing) selection of toys, books, movies, leather, oils and gifts. We have worked hard to support the local women’s and queer communities and will continue to do so in the future. With our ongoing workshops and outreach events, we are striving to provide a place where people can come to learn more about sex and themselves. It is my hope that Early to Bed will be known as not only a retail store, but as a safe space to explore sexuality and foster a sex-positive community.
I invite you to check out our website, visit our little shop and contact us with any questions you have about sex and sex toys. If you ever want to reach me directly, you can do so at searah (at) early2bed.com.
Peace and good lovin’,
Searah
