| For many Hong Kong locals, sex remains a taboo subject. Vera Lui, 38, set out to change that when she opened her store, Sally Coco Intimate Lifestyle — now marked by a pink neon sign along Central's iconic escalators — to sell everything from vibrators and lingerie to menstrual cups. More than a decade later, Lui continues her mission to improve sex education with her YouTube channel, which has more than 106,000 subscribers. A co-founder of the Women's Festival in Hong Kong, which promotes gender awareness and equality, she also regularly speaks at schools and conferences. We caught up with Lui to discuss changing attitudes toward sex in Hong Kong, the future of Sally Coco, and her new book The Worry-Relief Erotic Store (in Chinese), which published July 9. —Amber Tong What motivated you to start an intimate lifestyle store? And who is Sally Coco? I grew up without any sex education. That in itself is a type of sex education. It tells you that sex cannot be discussed. Growing up, I didn't have anyone who would teach me about these things, or someone I could ask questions. So when it came time to think of a name for my business, I created a fictional character named Sally. Sally is the person I didn't have when I was young, who could share accurate sexual knowledge with me, who could listen to my troubles, my secrets, my problems. She is non-judgmental, not just regarding sex, but in general.  Vera Lui holding her book at her Sally Coco store. Photographer: Jack Wong Who are your customers? If you're asking about demographics, it's 25- to 50-year-old men and women. Most are women, but many men visit, too. They span different sexual backgrounds: some lesbian, some gay, some transgender. Most are straight, but it's a broad mix. It's people who want their intimate lives to be a bit better. They may be experiencing some challenges and suffering, and they come to seek a solution, or a space to talk about this. Sometimes they don't come to shop. They come to talk about their feelings. Has Hong Kong's environment for sexual education improved? I think it's better but not for everyone. People with awareness have already come a long way. They will seek out information and have a positive attitude on sex. But the people who fit that description make up roughly 30% of the 7 million people who live in Hong Kong — and many have moved away. The remaining 70% don't read about these things, so they really wouldn't be exposed. I often feel the divergence is growing. Sally Coco started as an online shop and had four locations at its peak. Now you are back to one shop in Central. How has the business environment changed? When the stock market was up, people would come in during lunch time with a certain vibe to them. These past few years, you know what the market is like: People don't seem to be in the mood for consumption. Our business was good during the pandemic. In fact, it was the peak for our business because when people were trapped at home and quarantined with nothing to do, they would order a couple of toys. And people were going on staycations. Starting in the second half of 2021, I started seeing sales fall. It was worse than pre-pandemic. Every week I had a customer come to me and say, "I'm moving overseas, should I put my toy in my hand carry or check-in luggage?" And those were loyal customers who appreciated and supported local shops. All of them said they were leaving. What does the future hold for Sally Coco? These past few years I started spending more time learning about other areas of women's health, whether that's mental health, other physical health, or menopause. If this brand is to move forward, we should expand our scope — not just focus on sexual health, but rebrand as a women's health platform. What do you want readers to take away from your new book, The Worry-Relief Erotic Store? It contains 25 stories from my encounters with customers. Their stories have inspired my philosophy on sexuality, intimacy, love and self-love. Working here gives us a privileged position to see the most intimate side of humanity. Not many people have this opportunity to hear others talk about their sex lives. So I hope when people read these stories, it can bring more freedom to their intimate lives. Because many people are trapped in assumptions of what sex should be like ... I hope reading this can untangle some of those knots in their hearts. | 
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