Pepper’s Parties Too Owners Profiled By Southern Miss Newspaper

HATTIESBURG, Miss.—Husband-and-wife team Kathi Sherman and James Hubbard, who own Pepper’s Parties Too adult boutique in Hattiesburg, Miss., were recently interviewed by the student newspaper of their alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. The Student Printz talked with the couple—who are also known as “the Peppers”—about how their degrees have helped them in their business: Sherman has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, while Hubbard has a doctorate in research. “I went into psychology because I wanted to help people,” Sherman told the student newspaper. “This is a way that I can do it most efficiently. I still feel like I practice psychology. I do a lot of counseling in the store—a lot of relationship counseling. Because I don’t have my license to do individual therapy, sometimes I’ll say, ‘You guys might want to go to counseling, then come back to me, and we can talk more about the sex part.’” For his part, Hubbard said his degree serves him well because of the research he does for the business and as a part of the sexual health industry. “I’ve done a lot of statistical consulting,” Hubbard told the paper. “I’ve at least had one article, one presentation each year. My background is literally staying in the background [with] researching, publications and presentations.” Together, the pair work not only to provide quality pleasure products to customers, but also to provide accurate sex information and ways for people to express their sexuality. “I find that in Mississippi, because a lot of people have been sexually repressed, some people are very uneducated about sex,” Sherman said. “I get to teach them.” The article, Sherman said, marks the first time any local publication has featured their store. “I was surprised,” she said of the newspaper’s decision to interview her and Hubbard. “I'm honored and elated that they showed interest. It's funny that the students are the first to write about us, instead of the local publications. I think that it shows that we're a sex-positive, safe place for people to learn about sex and explore new avenues for communication. It also shows the university that this is our application of our psychology degrees, that we're not just small business owners or retail salespeople. I'm really proud of the way they depicted our store.” The article—and the couple—have received high praise from others in the community as well. “She is such a wonderful lady,” said regular customer and friend Kayla. “She is so passionate about her life, her work, her husband, education, etc. I have known her for years and she is so much more than just a salesperson or business owner; she is a leader, a counselor, an entrepreneur and one of those friends you can literally talk to about anything.” The couple have increased their visibility in the industry in recent years, with both Sherman and Hubbard becoming regular panelists on a number of seminars at the annual AVN Novelty Expo. To view the article, click here. For more information, visit PeppersParties.com.