Peterborough has a rich and booming population of bookstores, all of which bring something unique and different to this city. None, however, specialize in sex—until now.

As a self-proclaimed “smutty bookstore” with nearly a thousand followers online, the Creampie Cafe specializes in sexy, erotic, literature. Though there is no brick and mortar store just yet, the Creampie Cafe have already cemented themselves in Peterborough’s book market with their unique and fast growing online presence. 

I sat down with the owners of the cafe, Danyelle and Payge, to talk about the story behind their smutty cafe, and the importance of smut as a literary genre. 

The pair met eight months ago, and in looking for something exciting to do outside of their 9-5, they quickly bonded over the fact that “we both read a lot of porn,” as Payge shared.

“One day we were dreaming about what we would do if we didn’t have to work in healthcare, and we just sort of came up with this crazy idea—like a tongue-in-cheek bookstore,” Payge said. “Danyelle is a great baker, so we factored that in and when coming up with names for drinks and stuff, we started dabbling with cream pies and it kind of just stuck—she was born.” 

“Yeah, and we really just bonded over our love of books and I think we were just talking about what we would want to do and it kind of spiraled,” Danyelle added. 

When asked why the incoming bookstore and cafe chose to cater towards smutty books—aside from the pair’s personal affinity towards the genre—the pair spoke about creating a safe space and filling a vacant niche in Peterborough’s book market.

“There really isn’t one around,” Danyelle said, and added that people can experience a lot of shame and embarrassment when visiting big box stores such as Chapters and looking for their hidden smutty section. Additionally, she shared that oftentimes purchasing books—especially erotica—increasingly happens online, and creating a safe, comforting environment was really important in the creation of the Creampie Cafe.

“We thought it would be nice to have a place where you can go, get references, get specific things that you like and feel comfortable asking about it. Just somewhere where you can meet like-minded people and be comfortable—something aesthetic too,” she said.

“I think we were just looking for a safe space. And there’s a lot of safe spaces in Peterborough—it's a great town for that—but there wasn’t anything that was filling this niche,” Payge said, adding that herself and Danyelle are “just so open, almost painfully, to talking about those uncomfortable things. We just felt ‘what better way to spend our time than creating that safe space for the rest of the community?’ because we know they’re out there.”

On the topic of judgment and creating safe spaces, I asked the two if they had faced any backlash when building their business.

“Personally, no,” Payge said, and shared that she is fortunate enough to come from a very open background. “I was talking to my mom about BDSM like, very early in life…I don’t think we’ve really faced anything other than silly teenage boys messaging us on Instagram.”

Danyelle shared that she comes from a very different background than her colleague in that “my sex talk was ‘don’t have sex’,” she said, emphasizing the importance of normalizing sex in order break the stigma that often surrounds it.

I asked Payge and Danyelle about their experience during their first ever pop-up shop at Peterborough’s Modern Spring Market on May 5th, specifically the transition between a semi-anonymous Instagram account to a physical booth with their faces and names in the public eye. 

“It was nerve-wracking, of course,” Danyelle said. “I don’t really have social media and having to like, throw my face out there and be vulnerable (was hard) but I guess that’s a part of the whole thing.”

“I agree,” Payge added. “We were hoping for a warm reception but I don’t think we could have anticipated just how welcoming and excited the community was. It was non-stop, and it was amazing. It was really hard going back to work on Monday,” she said.

“Real,” echoed Danyelle. 

In talking about the transition from the Modern Spring Market to returning to their 9–5 jobs, I asked the pair if they could share their dream and vision behind the future store and what it will look like when people walk into the Creampie Cafe.

Payge shared that the two are not afraid of being “too much” and want to go all out with comfortable, eclectic furniture for everyone. In addition, accessibility is extremely important to them in planning a physical store, as Payge shared her experience as a plus size woman being a key consideration for the cafe.

“There is nothing worse as a plus sized woman entering a space that is just not built for you. So we just want to make sure that it’s built for everyone, any ability and any shape, size, or comfort level,” she said. “We also want a fireplace, because who doesn’t want to read a book in front of a fireplace?” Payge added. 

“Moody vampire” is how Danyelle described the aesthetic inspiration for their cafe. 

Smut as a genre has gained both a lot of popularity and backlash, especially concerning its legitimacy within literature. To better educate readers, I asked Payge and Danyelle to speak on what makes a good “spicy” book.

Danyelle shared that she loves the fantasy and fiction that surrounds tropes such as enemies to lovers, and emphasized her love for books that “could never happen,” while her colleague loves angsty romance, and shared that she is all about “the fluffy stuff.”

Notably, Payge touched upon the power of fiction, and how it creates a separation between real-life expectations while providing an escape and the ability to give in to an entirely fictional world in which unrealistic and often-times dangerous outcomes offer no real danger.

“If I want to have a book boyfriend or girlfriend, I want to never see them in real life,” she said. “I want it to be completely unrealistic and everything that I shouldn’t want in a partner and the complete opposite of my partner because I want to fall in love a million different times in a million different ways. I think that’s what smut gives you: the opportunity to live so many different lives.”

As the conversation turned to unhealthy relationships, the topic of smut setting unrealistic romantic standards to readers arose. I asked the pair if they could expand upon this narrative from their own perspective as avid smut readers and now owners of a smut-oriented business.

Danyelle mentioned metal music as an example with a similar narrative surrounding it, and cited the stereotype that metal listeners “worship the devil.” She noted the comparison between the two being misunderstood and misconstrued among an outside audience.

“You can’t expect people not to do something because you’re worried that it’s going to turn the other way…if you enjoy it, then enjoy it. If it’s healthy for you, then it’s healthy for you,” she continued, and added that smut can be a way to cope with trauma, and she finds it unfair of her or anyone to cast judgment onto others. “Who am I to tell anybody what works for them?”

Payge echoed her friend's point, and added that getting older, she realized that smut is another form of media—and media is unrealistic.

“You’re not watching Game of Thrones expecting a dragon to come down the street, just like you’re not reading Haunting Adeline and expecting Zade Meadows to be peeking in your window,” she said. “You don’t want that.”

She continued and stated that there are going to be people who use smut as a guidebook, and it’s unfortunate, but doesn’t think the vast majority of readers are looking for a serial killer to date. 

“Also, how would you even find a serial killer to date? It’s not real effective,” she joked. 

On the topic of smut as a legitimate genre, I shared my background as an English major and the pretentious environment that surrounds literature in academia. I myself have been re-learning how to read for pleasure at the end of the academic year, as opposed to a syllabus oriented structure to reading, and asked the pair about the importance of reading for enjoyment.

“My mom always told me growing up that ‘garbage is garbage’,” Danyelle said, and added that constantly reading serious or “boring” books is going to be emotionally taxing and eventually transfer into your real life. 

“If reading something like smut—which is a genre—makes you happy and gives you your endorphins, like, why wouldn't I want that?” she asked. 

Payge added that she suspects sex still being taboo is a main factor in the hate it gets. “It’s 2024, people have sex. You are allowed to like sex, you’re supposed to like sex. Sex is fun, and so is smut,” she said, adding that majority of the time, erotic novels are no different than any other genre of fiction—“they just have sex in them.”

She also touched back upon a previous point she made that smut offers the ability to live “a thousand different lives” and relayed that to her personal experience with her sexuality. 

“I’m pansexual but I do feel like I missed out on a lot of things because I didn’t get to know my sexuality later in life. Now I am in a monogamous, hetero-presenting relationship and I don’t get to have those experiences, but I still feel like I get to have them because I’m falling in love with these women and all these different people while still nurturing my healthy relationships, and I think that is very cool for people to get to experience all these things,” she said.

When asked about the future of the Creampie Cafe, Danyelle shared they have been in talks to create another pop-up shop, in addition to a podcast while they work towards their aim of opening a physical store for 2025. 

The pair also hope to host BDSM nights, wine nights, painting nights and education groups with the Creampie Cafe. 

“We are absolutely having a bookclub. One hundred percent,” Payge added, and relayed her excitement for the future and gratitude for the warm welcome they have received from the community so far.