LOS ANGELES, CA — When Juli Crockett, director of marketing for JT Stockroom.com says that “It’s been a whirlwind of activity here,” she not just talking about the company’s recent acquisition of couture latex garment manufacturer Syren; she’s talking about the company’s entire history.Founded by Joel Tucker, who first broke into the kinky leather goods trade while still in college by making and selling high quality, affordable, functional bondage cuffs, the company now employs more than 40 people, has more than 300,000 clients, and is headquartered in a three-story 1928 brick building on Sunset Boulevard. That’s a few upgrades from 1997, when Crockett joined the visionary Stockroom team and helped four other people run the business out of Tucker’s apartment. In 1990 Tucker earned the distinction of getting their first, when he brought his toy store online and found the marketplace wide open.
“The Stockroom has always had this synergistic, family-business energy – and the incredible thing is that feeling still remains even now that the company has grown to four plus people with much more defined job descriptions,” Crockett confides, while discussing the company’s latest growth spurt, deeper into latex fashion.
Approximately 30-percent of Stockroom.com products are BDSM and fetish gear manufactured in-house. The addition of Syren, with its pre-existing line of chic latex garments, will expand that number.
The addition of Syren is only the latest in this year’s improvements, however. Since the launch of the new year, Stockroom.com has been entirely redesigned, has introduced an affiliate program, created the KinkWire BDSM community forum, and listed hundreds of new products in its first full-color catalogue, which has just been sent to the printer.
According to Crockett, that’s not all that’s planned for this year.
“We are launching an all-male version of the Stockroom site in May, with a gay affiliate program. And now, this!,” she proclaimed with enthusiasm, referring to the Syren acquisition. “It’s incredibly exciting and I’m so happy to be part of it.”
In this case, “part of it” includes continuing a legacy of quality and care. Syren owner Andy Wilkes transfers the business to Tucker, with an excellent reputation attached to it. In business for more than 20 years, Syren is a recognized and respected name in both the fetish fashion world and the galaxy of stars that makes up Hollywood filmmaking. Creations from Syrens have graced the bodies of performers in Batman, Catwoman, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. As part of the agreement, an in order to help maintain quality and integrity, the entire Syren production staff will become part of the growing Stockroom family. Tucker also hints at the possibility of collaborative work emerging from the joint minds of Wilkes and the Stockroom.
