You might already be familiar with the Mister B Brand Stores in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Antwerp. But, you should know that you don’t need to travel far to get to a place where you can find Mister B’s products because we also have sixteen Shop-in-Shops around the world, including two reFForm Fetish Stores in Poland, located in Warsaw and Poznań. Come with us and meet Robert Strzelecki (he/him), the owner of this fantastic store.
We know you love everything about reFForm, but what is your favourite section of the store?
“You are right, I love it all because the whole shop is dedicated to fetish. Every customer not only can enjoy being at the only brick-and-mortar LGBT+ fetish shop in Warsaw, but also enjoy buying the best quality products. However, I do think that my favourite part is the Mister B Shop-in-Shop area. In this very special space, our customers can touch and smell the leather and rubber, and try on some fetish clothes. I would like to share with you one of my most memorable moments of this collab, back in 2012, when we were the third Mister B Shop-in-Shop in the world. During the opening, Max Groen, one of Mister B’s icons, was with us marking the beginning of a smooth collaboration based on a mutual understanding of business goals and opportunities, and creating memories – being part of the Canal Pride in Amsterdam, and visiting the shop and the warehouse where you used to have an X-cross in the wall that I personally loved, as opposed to the cross people keep at churches!”
We love working with you too! Now tell me, have you ever had any hilarious or unexpected moments with customers?
“Oh, yes! From time to time, something hilarious happens. One of the stories I love telling is when a customer decided to check if a cockring fits his penis. He went behind the curtains of the fitting room, and after a while, he asked one of the assistants for help. The cockring looked great on him, but… he immediately got an erection, and he could not take off the cockring! Luckily, the pinky finger of our experienced shop assistant helped to save his cock from the horniness caused by the evil cockring – the blood in his penis started circulating again and the erection went away. The good thing is that the customer learned how to release blood pressure from his penis, and of course, he bought a few metal cockrings by Mister B. Another story that I love is when a dominatrix brought her boyfriend and made him dress as a puppy. He had his leash on, and started barking, and finally, she made him pay for everything – including everything she wanted. They left with a few bags full of toys. Lucky them!”
Now let me ask you, if reFForm had a “secret menu” of products or services, what would be on it?
“We love helping our clients to discover their love for fetishes. Our signature dishes in the ‘secret menu’ are:
- Try everything around, you’ll decide later. Every customer can try our leather, rubber, or neoprene, feel sexy, and even take pictures if they want to remember the sensation
- Smell to make you crave. Take in the aromas of the materials before buying, and discover what your body and your senses are telling you
Of course, this creates a better ambience for customers to discover what they love and what their bodies and mind need. Everyone should try it; you might find out that you get aroused pretty easily.”
Oh yes, we all should listen more to our senses. Now, what is the story behind the name of your store? The double F tells me something, but I want to hear it from you.
“Bingo! When reFForm was founded in 2004, FF practice was not so popular and visible during parties, and not many people knew the meaning of FF. So, when Marcin, the founder of reFForm, was trying to come up with a cool name, he realized he wanted to incorporate the FF to promote it and attract fist lovers to the shop. So yes, double F stands for exactly what your dirty mind is thinking! Anyway, to give it a romantic touch, we also see FF as a fraternity and future. Next year, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary so everyone can come and celebrate!”
I knew it! I love finding these hidden codes within the scene. What is the fetish community like in Warsaw and Poznań?
“The fetish communities in Poznań and Warsaw are very different from each other. The fetish scene in Poznań is a monolith and relatively small. In Warsaw, on the other hand, the fetish scene is very diverse and huge. In Warsaw, you’ll find 99% of the Polish fetish life. However, this doesn’t mean we live in a bed of roses; there are still many homophobic attacks in our country, intolerance towards LGBTQ+ people, and the Catholic Church supporting organizations that openly attack the people from our community. So, we still have a lot of things to fight for.”
We still have a long way to walk. In what ways does reFForm actively engage with and support the local fetish community to foster a sense of community and inclusivity?
“We have come a long way from a run-at-home online store to being the owners of two flagship stores in two major cities in Poland. Since the very beginning, reFForm has been involved in promoting the LGBTQ+ fetish community, and supporting the activities of other associations and fetish groups. We offer jobs to LGBTQ+ people and create opportunities for them to develop and grow. In 2017, my partner and I founded the REFFORM Foundation, an NGO for fetish people, to which we donate 1% of the company tax every year. The REFFROM Foundation is committed to health promotion, equality, and anti-discrimination. We fund prizes for drag queen competitions, Mister Bear Poland, Mister Rubber Poland, Mister Chaser Poland, and Mister Leatherman Poland. Every year, we co-organize Bear and Fetish Camps, where the multi-fetish community meets for fun and entertainment using resorts all over Poland. And most importantly, after almost twenty years of being on the market, we still have the will to do more and better, every single time!”
Many thanks for your wise words! We are very happy and proud to have you on board as one of the first Shop-In-Shops in Mister B’s story. After almost twenty years, you keep making history by giving a safe place to the kinksters in a world that needs us to be visible, now more than ever!
