Larry Flynt Shows Up at Re-Opening of Hustler Hollywood

There are always a number of predictable characters at sexually-themed events in Los Angeles: the men whose expectant faces reveal that they're secretly hoping to see a porn star; the women whose constant adjustment of their skintight garments reveals that they are, once were, or hope to become that porn star; the ever-so-slightly self-congratulatory event employees who gleefully demonstrate vibrators and nipple clamps.

But not every event -- in fact, very few events -- afford attendees the opportunity to meet actual sex industry icons, and that's what made last week's re-opening of the Hustler Hollywood store more than just a nosh-filled gander at lingerie and dildos: Larry Flynt made a golden-wheelchaired appearance.

Flynt was on hand to celebrate the redesign of Hustler's flagship store, which got new floors, displays, dressing rooms, and merchandise as part of an upgrade.

The West Hollywood boutique has been open for 14 years, catering to the kinky needs of the Sunset Strip and beyond. Flynt said that the revamp wasn't a re-branding, since the store has always done well. Plus, he added, in recent years, the consumer's view of sex has changed.

"People don't have the knee-jerk attitude about sex that they had decades ago," he said. "They're more open-minded about sexuality."

Flynt noted that women in particular have embraced their sexuality over the years, noting that more than 50 percent of Hustler's clientele are ladies. "It's the female market that makes us," he said, "not the male."