'People like the fact that nobody can see them coming in,' Ms Meng said.

The proprietress, 28, does not look the part of the typical sex shop owner. She is a relatively shy woman, who covers her mouth in embarrassment when she laughs. Dressed in jeans, a suede jacket and sneakers, she seems an unlikely expert on sex aids - let alone the woman leading Beijing into a new era of sexual shopping.

'I like to help people decide on what to buy, let them slowly work their way through the products,' she said. 'I start by suggesting massage oil. People need to slowly get used to the things we have for sale.'

Her penchant for frank discussion about her store's wares is rare in a city where talk of sex is greeted by most women with awkward giggles and blushes. In Beijing, there is no shortage of sex shops but most are tiny and staffed by old women in laboratory coats, whose attitude towards the products is generally one of disgust.

'They're like pharmacies,' she said. 'We definitely have a different vibe.'

After visiting many sex shops in the city, Ms Meng realised an industry makeover was long overdue: 'China's developing so fast. Why shouldn't this industry develop as well?'

She also wanted to put the emphasis on selling to women. 'It's too bad that a lot of people really want to try these things, but are too embarrassed to go out and buy them,' she said. 'I know of a Chinese website that gets 50,000 to 60,000 hits a day. I'm working on my own website now. But what I want to do is create a comfortable atmosphere in the store.'

She offers a personalised service to customers, whom she said only came in if the store was empty.

'Of course, I've tried a lot of the products we sell,' she said. 'And I get my friends to try them and tell me what they think.'

The shop, which features warmly coloured and sparsely decorated walls and a display case of accessories, is located just off of the capital's bar strip.

Along the street, in the glow of the neon from more than a dozen watering holes, touts hawk pirated DVDs, ranging from Hollywood feature films to porn movies.

'A lot of people come into the shop asking for porn DVDs and prostitutes,' says Ms Meng. 'I tell them, 'This is a legitimate business. If it was legal, we'd be into doing it. But not until it's legal'.'

The apartment complex in which the shop is housed is home to more retired people than yuppies. But the neighbours are curious, not antagonistic.

'The older folks are much more open-minded than most young people,' Ms Meng explained. 'A bunch of them have come in here really curious to know all about what we sell and what each item is for. They're not embarrassed at all.'

But they stop short of buying anything. Ms Meng laughed at the suggestion. 'They would never use this stuff,' she said.

She said business had so far been good - her customers are mostly men in their 40s - but she complained that promotional activities, particularly to the coveted foreign population, proved difficult. 'The local English magazines aren't allowed to run ads for stores like this. And the Chinese media is even less likely to. If Playboy were here, I'd be advertising in it.'

Although it is legal to produce and sell a whole range of sex toys on the mainland, advertising the products is forbidden. While safe sex products such as condoms can now be advertised, recreational items like those on sale in Ms Meng's shop are still taboo, making it difficult to lure customers.

'If the advertisement were to just promote the shop and not mention the products that it sells, it would be legal,' said Beijing lawyer Wang Yu.

'But what is there to say about a sex shop without referring to sex?'

Despite the legal pitfalls, shops like The G-Spot are gradually gaining acceptance in Beijing.

'People ask me if we have a business licence,' Ms Meng said. 'They don't believe me when I tell them we do. And a lot of people don't understand the name of the store. I think 'adult health shop' is awful. So I called my place the G-Spot. Now that's romantic.'