Vinnie the Tampon Case Distributor won't let periods cramp your style. by Lori Greenberg

you're a business owner, it's hard to get noticed in downtown New York City. Naming your store Vinnie's Tampon Case is a good way to solve that problem. The colorful space opened on New York's Lower East Side close to a year ago. Its facade is painted with a two-color cartoon of smiling man—ostensibly Vinnie—with an upturned nose, bushy brows, and a toothy grin.

As soon as I walked by the place, I knew I needed to investigate.

Peering in, I glimpsed rows of canvas tampon holders, which were the size of a sunglasses case, and were emblazoned with the same cartoonish image of Vinnie. These were propped among shelves of T-shirts, magnets, caps, and bumper stickers bearing slogans like "I brake for cycles" and "I know my flow."

I had never realized that tampons could be so creative -- or could warrant the devotion of their own store. I decided that I had to meet Vinnie and find out what this was all about.

FROM PIGSKIN TO PLAYTEX
I meet Vinnie outside his shop one afternoon to chat. A husky, twentysomething dude, he's much better looking than his tampon case alter ego. When I ask his last name, Vinnie informs me he prefers to be known simply as "Vinnie the Tampon Case Distributor." In fact, he's been wearing clothes bearing this title for the past three years.

As a boy, Vinnie dreamed of becoming a football player. His mother, an artist, spent most of Vinnie's life encouraging him to take the creative path. Eventually, he followed in her footsteps.

Eight years ago, Vinnie started making paintings and magnets, which focused on the inequalities between men and women. He'd just finished college, and was living in a rough San Francisco neighborhood. Every day, his female roommates would come home with stories about men who harassed them on the street.

"That struck a real chord in me," says Vinnie. "It made me realize that women have a very different experience on the planet than men do. In the U.S., where there's a big backlash against political correctness and affirmative action, everyone thinks women are equal now and the playing field is leveled. And it's so far from that."

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