One of the Last Bits of Weird Georgetown Closes

One of the last remaining vestiges of an earlier, weirder, Georgetown recently just closed: the Pleasure Place.

The sex shop has long seemed out of place among its straight-laced neighbors, but that was not always the case. There was a time when Georgetown was a lot more rowdy and playful. A time when the neighborhood was known more for its head-shops than its expensive fashion.

In the 1980s, and into the 90s, with legendary places like Commander Salamander and Smash Records, Georgetown attracted people from far and wide looking to shrug off the blandness of their suburban redoubts. And Pleasure Place, open since 1979, was one of those spots where people would come and explore their weird sides.

But one-by-one these places have closed or picked up and moved elsewhere. That older, punkier, side of Georgetown is long gone.