When I came into the office following a recent weekend, there was an intriguing little purple frilly box waiting for me on my desk.

While the curious eyes of my coworkers looked on, I opened it to find miniature handcuffs and a little purple tickler thingy.

Also included was an invitation to a preview tour and ribbon cutting for the press (me) and dignitaries (everybody else) at the recently remodeled Lovers superstore near Southcenter mall.

Formerly called Amour on the Boulevard, the 15,000-square-foot, three-story store is the flagship of Phyllis Heppenstall's lingerie, sensuous lotions and other notions empire.

I wrote in May about the unique role that Highline communities played in the launching of the bricks-and-mortar part of her business.

In 1981, Heppenstall opened her first store in Des Moines. Even though there was an X-rated theater already operating next door, her "PG-13" operation was run out of town after only four days.

Banned in Des Moines, she loaded the inventory that she had been selling at house parties into a pickup truck and headed north to Burien.

In Burien, she was welcomed, appointed to the economic development council and helped design the city's transit center.

In 1998, Heppenstall fulfilled her vision of opening a "big elegant place" when the Tukwila building came on the market.

Since the Des Moines debacle, Heppenstall's company has grown to about 30 retail locations in Washington and California with 175 employees as well as wholesale, manufacturing and Internet divisions.

It is ironic that she has an Internet division since 25 years ago, when she was trying to decide what kind of business to start, the two growth areas were computers and sex.

"I didn't know much about computers," Heppenstall jokes.

When I read that Heppenstall's marketing vice president described the remodeled Tukwila store as "more than a superstore-it's a sexy adult theme park," I knew I had to check it out.

I met three housewives there who told me that they had been desperate to find an interesting and fun way to exercise. They said they found the answer to their dilemma at a Maple Valley women's fitness center when they enrolled in Pole Dancing classes.

They demonstrated on the pole at Lovers and I had to agree it was interesting and fun to watch them exercise.

I also talked again with Heppenstall.

With non-seedy suburban shops that attract women customers as well as men, Heppenstall said she doesn't consider her company an adult business.

"It is just a great business that sells to adults," she emphasized.

With my reporter's notebook in hand, I toured the main floor dubbed "Le Boudoir." I noted a large selection of holiday women's apparel available with names like "Ho, Ho, Ho," "Santa's Helper" and "Snow Bunny."

The upstairs floor called "Le Sin ema" contains DVDs and an art gallery.

"If you can't find it there, you don't need it," I was admonished.

The top floor also contains a museum.

After being told my previous column was part of the museum, I extensively searched but didn't see it. A public relations person assured me that oversight would be rectified.

The store's basement, "La Cave," is described as "more cutting edge."

After the three-story tour, I think Lovers might become my favorite Tukwila attraction.

It is more likely that I would meet astronauts at Tukwila's Museum of Flight. But at Lovers, I figure I might run into U. S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr.

(As you political junkies know, Ford is the guy who is used to cheap shots after his attendance at a Super Bowl party sponsored by Playboy possibly cost him a Tennessee senate seat.)

Eric Mathison can be reached at hteditor@robinsonnews.com or 206-388-1855.