Meet the Franchise Bringing Adult Products Out of the Shadows Adam & Eve creates an atmosphere that is welcoming to both women and couples, with a focus on sexual health.

Marital aids, sex toys, pleasure products--whatever you call them, most communities have long exiled their sale to grimy industrial areas or truck stops by the highway where no "decent" soul can see them.

But Adam & Eve, which has been selling such products in the U.S. for more than 40 years, brought the adult store out of the shadows in 2009 with the launch of the Adam & Eve store franchise.

Adam & Eve's take on risque retail isn't your typical smut shop. The company has tried to create an atmosphere that's friendly to women and couples, with a focus on sexual health. Lingerie, supplies for bachelorette parties and other less shocking items are stocked in the front of the store, while the naughtier bits and videos are kept behind partitions in the back. All DVDs are reviewed internally, and 20 percent are sent to sex therapists, who make sure they depict positive human sexuality and wellness. The company focuses on specialty retail locations in strip malls and other shopping areas.