Making LUKE+JACK accessible

Our Aspirations

At Luke +Jack, Scotland’s Premiere Sex Shop, we believe that everyone deserves a sex-positive sex life. With the term sex-positive, we mean with a positive attitude to sex, sexuality and equality in every sense so everyone is able to have a consensual and enjoyable, healthy and happy sex life with access to the wonderful products that can assist that. With this in mind, we began a 2019/2020 pilot to attempt to improve accessibility for all customers. We understand there may be a number of reasons you feel unable, or simply unsure, about coming through the doors at Luke +Jack. If you have additional needs this may seem more daunting and we want you to feel welcome and able to access our shop and ask the questions you need to in order to have the sexual enjoyment you deserve.

Please help us by telling us how we can do this, as we can only to learn from you!

Most sex toys and accessories in-store are available to touch and switch on. Let us know and we can open a box up for you. We have many display items and testers. Most clothing and lingerie can be tried on over underwear. It’s fun to discuss and handle toys, and our customers who are visually impaired tend to be better at identifying the benefits of shapes and rumbles than our sighted customers! It’s something Online Shopping will never be able to fully replicate and immediately makes for easier access for all to pleasure products. It’s part of the sexy experience of shopping in-store beyond just pictures and description. Only occasionally, some items are sealed by manufacturers with tamper seals for hygiene and cannot be opened until purchased.

Our Limitations

To do this, we first have to acknowledge our limitations: we are a small business and we don’t own our premises. Our shop is housed in an 18th Century listed building where we are unable to install a lift.

We have step access, and multiple steps and across different levels inside the shop, and have detailed this below.

With these obstacles limits in mind, we have decided to still ask, “What is there that we can do to improve accessibility?” We see this as ways to improve the experience in the physical shop but also beginning to consider how else we can assist people to access the sex-positive products we stock. 

In this pilot, we have been working with SQIFF, but also, we are beginning to think about who else we may be able to team-up with (such as the Vaginismus Network) in the coming year to expand our knowledge and to improve our ability to serve all customers accessibility needs.

Whispering Wednesdays

Our first pilot for improvements coincided with the opening of SQIFF 2019.

We launch Whispering Wednesdays on 2nd October 2019 and continue it every Wednesday until further notice.

Between the hours of  11 am -1 pm every Wednesday, across both retail floors:

• We will not play music and we will turn off TV screens

• We will only illuminate lighting that is necessary for health and safety and to see products

• We will turn off all coloured and flashing lights. 

• Signage will inform all customers that this is a quiet time and that all shoppers are discouraged from making unnecessary noise and should, where possible, speak in soft voices.

• A pad and pen will be provided for those who need to write as part of their accessibility needs. We, unfortunately, do not have an induction loop.

We will continue to quietly greet all our customers and answer any questions you have, but we will be more careful in how and when we approach you and only tend to do this if you indicate you want us to.

For ALL customers we hope this creates a quiet, welcoming shopping experience, but are mindful of this provision being aimed at supporting a pleasant and calmer shopping experience for people who are neuro-diverse, people who may have hearing difficulties or sight impaired, those who may feel overwhelmed or overloaded by too many people or too much information.

Everyone is welcome at ALL Times.

We want to be clear that the Luke +Jack team believe all customers who are respectful of one another, and respectful of us, deserve a respectful and pleasant and sex-positive experience at all times, whenever they choose to shop. You are, of course, welcome to shop at any time. Our staff team will always try to assist and advise to the best of their abilities. With Whispering Wednesdays we are simply trying to ensure that, as a small independent business, our staffing provision and specific focus in what can be a very busy shop are, during those times, as supportive and aware to extra customer needs as possible. 

If you have any questions or queries about accessibility or Whispering Wednesdays, please email Luke and Jack at shop@lukeandjack.co.uk

Accessible Transport: by car

There are 6 car parking spaces for blue badge holders at the Argyle Street end of Virginia Street, just before the pedestrian area, these are on the same side of the road as the pavement for accessing Luke +Jack.

The nearest car park providing accessible parking is in Glassford Street, parallel to Queen Street. The Car Park lifts to the Luke + Jack front door is approximately 5 minutes using the pedestrian crossing at Wilson Street.

Accessible Transport: by train

The nearest accessible train stations are Central Station and Queen Street Station. They have lift provision or platform to street access. Don’t be tempted to use the Argyle Street Station: although considerable closer to our shop, it only has escalators that are frequently out of use in our experience, and has a complex warren of poorly lit long narrow steps that require you to walk down from the platform, only to then walk up again to get to street level!

Accessible Transport: by bus

Glasgow is well-served by accessible buses. The nearest bus stops are in Glassford Street, but many other routes may stop in George Square, or close by in Ingram Street.

Accessible toilets

The nearest fully accessible toilet is at Brutti Compadres - a friendly established bar in The Virginia Court Complex that Luke +Jack resides within. We do not have a customer toilet.

Need a seat? A glass of water?

If you need a seat, then we have plenty of hard-backed upright chairs and stools in-store.

Need a glass of water? 

Please just ask a member of staff, for help.

Step Access and doors

Luke +Jack is a small business and we don’t own our premises. Our shop is housed in a listed building where we are unable to install a lift.  To find Luke + Jack, our entrance is a double door on the right-hand side of the archway leading into Virginia Court.

Our doors are always fully open with a red glass chandelier as a clear feature. Next door, on the opposite side of the archway, is a really friendly wig shop called Parruche, but they keep their external doors shut.

We have step access:  multiple steps across different various levels inside the shop.

There are four steps up to the wide, double door, from the street into the foyer. Unfortunately, there is no bannister support attached to this 18th Century Stonework. The foyer (including the distinctive red chandelier), is very well lit.

The ground shop floor is accessed through a foyer doorway on the right, approximately 90 cm wide. The door opens inwards on to a landing at the same level. To access the main shop floor there are three wide steps, with a strong grip handle situated on the right-hand side. This floor is well lit and has space to circulate.

Access to the lower level of the shop, is through a second door in the foyer, with approximately 85 cm clearance and a 1 m 20 cm squared landing. This door opens outwards. There are 15 steps down to the lower ground and another 1 m 20 cm squared landing. The lower ground is then accessed through another 85 cm-wide door that also opens outwards. Once downstairs there is again plenty of space to move around the fixtures which can be moved if necessary.

Wheelchair access

Wheelchair access is complicated, however not impossible, as established above. We have many customers who shop with us who face mobility issues, including staff members. Once a wheelchair is situated on a floor there is a comfortable amount of space to look around and shop.

Unfortunately, besides steps, there is not door-width clearance into the shop for larger electric wheelchairs.

If you and friends/partners/carers are able to come into the store without further assistance from our staff team, this could be at any time during business hours. However, if you require help to carry in lighter/folding wheelchairs or walking frames or equipment with notice we can help. Please contact us with at least 48 hours notice at shop@lukeandjack.co.uk to negotiate how we can make your visit as comfortable as possible Please be aware our staff will be able to help to the best of their capabilities with your equipment, but we are unable to carry or support you.

Out of hours shopping for people with access issues

If anxiety, panic attacks, neuro-diverse conditions or physical conditions are an obstacle to individuals being able to access Luke +Jack in a usual trading day, we will often be able to help, with notice and negotiation, to be open for you for a limited period of the day either before our usual opening time or in the time after usual closing. This has to be by prior arrangement only and is limited by staff availability. Please make these enquiries by email to shop@lukeandjack.co.uk.

Any questions please call 0141 5525699, and the staff team will endeavour to answer your question or take a name and number and call (or email and write) you back as soon as possible.