Month: February 2025

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

Effective through Sunday, we are going to be running some seasonal clearance sales at the Grounds. In store: see us in person for 15% off consignment gear and 30% off all other gear & books in stock. (This stacks with your VIP discount!) Online: order as many books as you like at WickedGrounds.com using code HEAVYMAN for our Books Are Heavy sale, and get 30% off. We appreciate your support! xo Mir

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

I have just received some excellent news that will support us in bringing back our podcast — and finally rolling out pre-recorded class content! — starting this September, if not sooner.  Keep your eyes on this page. Patreon members will see it all first, and again be able to pitch us with questions & topics for future classes and shows!  xo  Mir 

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

To view this content, you must be a member of Wicked’s Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

We have so many new classes in the works, I had to take a pause in bookings to get this roster out! Please expect even MORE new classes added and an updated roster in the next couple of weeks. If you’re a Patreon member at the VIP+ level, you already have access to Miriam Green classes for free, and all other classes for only $10 each. If you’re not already using this benefit, please do! Book early to reserve your spot! (Pro tip: most of our in-person playshops sell out about a week in advance.) Want to attend a class but short on funds? Most classes offer scholarship tickets. Just use the “Volunteer List” at the bottom of the ticketing page to request one! S/m & the physical side of play 4/27 6pm PDT: Spank Therapy w/ Miss Chris (ONLINE) 5/1 7pm PDT: SparkLab! (SF) 5/4 6pm PDT: All About Belts w/ Wiley Wolfe (ONLINE) 5/9 7pm PDT: SpankLab (SF) 5/10 7pm CDT: Caning: From Sensual to Sadistic w/ Miriam Green (Austin, TX) 5/21 2pm PDT: From Shaft to Sole: Bootblacking 101 (ONLINE – EMEA friendly timing) 6/3 2pm PDT: Reality-Based Toilet Play w/ Ayzad (ONLINE – EMEA friendly timing) Bondage & Fetish 4/20 7pm PDT: Wicked Rope Jam (SF) 5/3 7pm PDT: Rope Bite SF (SF) 5/4 7pm PDT: Wicked Rope Jam (SF) 5/16 7pm PDT: Getting Started with Rope Bondage Part 1 w/ PsychoKitty (SF & ONLINE) 5/18 7pm PDT: Wicked Rope Jam (SF) 6/10 4pm PDT: Latex Working Munch (SF) 6/20 7pm PDT: Getting Started with Rope Bondage Part 2 w/ PsychoKitty (SF & ONLINE) D/s & the mental side of play 4/18 7pm PDT: Fetish Games w/ PsychoKitty (SF) 4/24 6pm PDT: Arcane Dominance and Submission w/ Lee Harrington (ONLINE) 5/9 6pm PDT: So You Want to Be a Top w/ Candace (ONLINE) 5/10 6pm PDT: You Get What You Inspire – Engagement of Master and slave w/ Tomo (ONLINE) 5/14 3:30pm CDT: Sex Magick for Kinksters w/ Miriam Green (Austin, TX) 6/12 6pm PDT: Sir No Sir! Saying No In D/s Dynamics w/ Ev Evnen (ONLINE) 6/13 6pm PDT: Empowering from the Bottom w/ Candace (ONLINE) 6/20 6pm PDT: What Are You Afraid Of? A Fear Play Class w/ Devyn Stone (ONLINE) 6/22 6pm PDT: Self-care and Submission w/ girl lily (ONLINE) Erotic Hypnosis More to come Primals & human animals 4/27 7pm PDT: Pack Night (SF) 5/17 6pm PDT: Primal Play: Hunter, Hunted, Predator & Prey w/ Lee Harrington (ONLINE) Self-knowledge, negotiation & consent 4/23 2pm PDT: NEW DATE: Safewords, the Missing Lesson w/ Ayzad (ONLINE – EMEA friendly timing) 4/26 6pm PDT: Breath is Fundamental w/ HG Wyndell (ONLINE) 5/3 6pm PDT: Negotiating and Communicating for Emotional S/M w/ vahavta (ONLINE) 5/11 6pm PDT: Self-Awareness in BDSM w/ Devyn Stone (ONLINE) 5/13 10am CDT: BDSM Negotiation Basics w/ Miriam Green (Austin, TX) 5/13 12:45pm CDT: Diving Deep w/ Miriam Green (Austin, TX) 5/20 11am MST: Diving Deep w/ Miriam Green (Phoenix, AZ) 5/21 11am MST: Dealing with Drop w/ Miriam Green (Phoenix, AZ) 5/21 2pm MST: Advanced BDSM Negotiations – Relationships & Dynamics w/ Miriam Green (Phoenix, AZ) 5/23 6pm PDT: Writing Spicy w/ Sinclair Sexsmith (ONLINE) 5/31 6pm PDT: Determining Your Risk Profile Workshop w/ vahavta (ONLINE) 6/1 6pm PDT: Private Joy: Sadomasochism for Solo & Distance Play (ONLINE) 6/8 7pm PDT: Kink 101: Diving Deep – Discovering and Voicing Kink Desires w/ Miriam Green (SF & ONLINE) Relationships: Finding friends, dating, & building community! 4/18 6pm PDT: ONLINE: Don’t Be Creepy; A Fun Guide to Social Interactions In the Scene (ONLINE) 4/22 2pm PDT: A History of Leather w/ Noether (SF & ONLINE – EMEA friendly timing) 4/27 11am PDT: Dating While Kinky w/ Miriam Green (ONLINE – EMEA friendly timing) 5/2 7pm PDT: Tips for House Topping w/ Miriam Green (SF & ONLINE) 5/6 Noon PDT: Welcome to the SF Kink Scene w/ Rae Lune (SF) 5/6 2pm PDT: How to Find the Top of Your Dreams w/ Ayzad (ONLINE EMEA Friendly Timing) 5/10 7pm PDT: Kinky Speed Dating w/ Psychokitty Ryan (SF) 5/18 7pm PDT: The Intersections of Polyamory & Permaculture w/ Eleven (SF & ONLINE) 5/21 2pm MST: Advanced BDSM Negotiations – Relationships & Dynamics w/ Miriam Green (Phoenix, AZ) 5/30 7pm PDT: Dating While Kinky w/ Miriam Green (SF & ONLINE) 6/5 6pm PDT: Two Plus: Essentials, Joys and Challenges of Polyamory and Kink w/ Tomo (ONLINE) 6/15 11am PDT: Kink 201: Advanced BDSM Negotiations for Dynamics and Relationships (ONLINE – EMEA friendly timing) Life Stuff, wellness & adulting for kinksters 4/30 11am PDT: CPR/AED Bloodborn Pathogens w/ PuppyDog (SF) Spirituality, magick & occult (with Magickal Crossroads) 4/20 6pm PDT: Empath Training Level 3 w/ Diana Rajchel (ONLINE) 4/24 6pm PDT: Arcane Dominance and Submission w/ Lee Harrington (ONLINE) 4/26 6pm PDT: Breath is Fundamental with HG Wyndell (ONLINE) 5/11 6pm CDT: Exploring the Worlds of the Tarot Suits w/ Miriam Green (Austin, TX) 5/14 3:30pm CDT: Sex Magick for Kinksters w/ Miriam Green (Austin, TX) 5/18 6pm PDT: Empath Training Level 4 w/ Diana Rajchel (ONLINE) 5/20 2pm MST: Sex Magick for Kinksters w/ Miriam Green (Phoenix, AZ) 6/15 6pm PDT: Empath Training Level 5 w/ Diana Rajchel (ONLINE)

I want to get this out here, clearly and quickly. I’ve said this in each public post, and will say it again: We’ve been planning for several weeks to wind down to-order food & drink, and that’s an economic necessity. We simply cannot continue to lose money on offering these products. Removing food & to-order drinks from the menu (milkshakes, hot drinks, etc.) and the overhead associated with those items is the only expected change to our business plans. We were able to make a plan that retains all current staff and will allow for expanded hours & more shifts in the mid- to long-term. I am committed to providing a sustainable compensation model, and am open to improving our current offer as we get the business back on the right footing. It’s an unfortunate fact that I was planning the change to our product and services offering for several weeks while Wicked Grounds staff were also planning to unionize. It’s understandable, but unfortunate, that no one had insight into the full picture. I continue to believe that we’re all looking at the same set of concerns: we are simply underfunded on the cafe side, and as a net-negative offering we’re not in a position to fund the cafe to offer anything like its old standards from the early days of my tenure. No one likes that. We may have different ways we want to address it, but our concerns are aligned.  This Monday, we had an all hands meeting at which I announced the shift to retail & events. About 45 minutes into that meeting, many staff announced that they were forming a union. I was caught off guard but have made clear to everyone that I welcome all staff to continue at Wicked Grounds as our operations evolve. I continue to support and encourage the team to make their own choices about unionization and I will keep that discussion open. The team have asked me to negotiate with them in late May, and that is the current plan. If they approach me with a different plan, I’m open to that as well. I hope this is helpful, and continue to welcome questions. WarmlyMirOwner, Wicked GroundsMir@WickedGrounds.com tl;dr: I plan to support the staff in the direction they feel is best. My only hard line in the sand is that funds do not exist to continue offering to-order food and drink, and Wicked Grounds cannot commit to bringing that back. Everything else is open to negotiation, and negotiation is what we do!

If you’re already on our regular mailing list, you already got this, but I wanted to share it here as well.  If it weren’t for our Patreon members, we literally could do none of this so you should know how your contributions become staff pay. Our commitment to keep the doors open as a community space is only possible because of your commitment to us.  Hi everyone – In light of the current transitions at Wicked Grounds, some folks may have questions about our compensation and benefits at the Grounds, and I’m here to help! Here is the best transparency I can offer around our policies: Employee Benefits All staff start at no less than the San Francisco Minimum Wage + $0.50. At present, that works out to a starting wage of $17.50/hour. On July 1st, that will increase to a base wage of $18.57/hour. We always look for opportunities to advance based on responsibilities or merit increases. Our pay scale is relatively flat. Our highest paid employees currently receive no more than 40% above base. (For comparison, Ben & Jerry’s — sometimes held up as a model of a flat scale — has a general top rate of 300% of base.) As noted below, I’m personally at the bottom of the scale. All staff are eligible to sign up for our 401k plan through Guideline. In addition to employee contributions, Wicked Grounds matches 100% of employee contributions up to the first 3% of pay, then 50% of employee contributions on the next 2% of pay. All staff receive 20% off any purchases at Wicked Grounds. (This is an identical discount to the one I receive myself when buying from the Grounds.) All staff can attend an unlimited number of free classes Wicked Grounds offers in person or online. All staff have unlimited free access to use the Annex for personal projects on a space available and first-requested first-served basis. We occasionally are able to offer additional community benefits — for example, the gentleman behind Dirty Talk Game Show offers our staff free tickets. If you love our staff and want to give them cool community recognition, please talk to us! Beginning May 1, all staff will receive a 5% commission on all retail items sold during their shift. (This benefit already applies to off-site sales at our event booths, and is intended to help replace the role that tips currently play.) While there is always room for improvement, the goal is to treat our staff fairly and recognize their work. Instructor Benefits All paid instructors receive 50% of gross ticketing for all paid tickets to their classes, as independent contractors. Instructors additionally receive $7.50 per ticket for each scholarship ticket we award to honor our NOTAFLOF policy for classes. Those tickets are covered by our scholarship fund. Instructors may at their own discretion provide additional discount tickets to their friends or community, of course. We do occasionally have instructors who donate their time and decline payment, in order to benefit the Grounds. We appreciate that when it happens, and it does help — but that is never expected, and is increasingly rare. We want our instructors to benefit from their efforts! I want to recognize here that during our reopening last year, I got very, very behind on instructor payments for some instructors. Our goal is to pay out for classes within two to four weeks of a class when payments settle to our account, and I got up to months behind for some people while we were in rent negotiations to keep the space last year. I was able to take out a loan in order to get those payments caught up, and we’ve done our best to stay on track since. The Elephant in the Room On paper, my salary is $520/week. When the Grounds is solvent, I try to take this. Most months I don’t. (I have been able to include myself in three of eight payrolls this year.) When I am able, I accept small repayments on my extensive personal loans to the business, which is most of how I live day to day and pay for my rent and cat kibble. (Those who know me personally probably know I live frugally.) My employee discount on anything I purchase from the Grounds is identical to that of our staff: 20% on books and gear, 100% on classes. If we are able to get the Grounds back to solvency, I’d love to start getting paid for my own classes at the instructor rate. At this time, I teach 6-8 classes and workshops each month for the Grounds, and I donate 100% of that salary into the business. At this time, I also donate 100% of my private consulting fees back into the business. I’d love to get to a point at which I could take a 50% payout for this time, but we’re not there yet. Again, is there room for improvement? Almost certainly. One of my goals with moving away from to-order food and drink is to move toward solvency, which will in turn allow me to provide more sustainable benefits to our staff. A focus on retail, classes, workshops & rentals will allow us to remain solvent, and allow us the ability to continue to invest in the business, including our staff. Our change to retail & events will also allow us to expand our hours, giving staff more stability in their schedules, something we all want. Removing food & drink (except bottled beverages) is an absolutely critical first step toward providing the working environment that everyone is asking for, and I appreciate the community’s support as we make that change. If you have questions, I’m absolutely open to them. I may or may not be able to answer everything publicly, but you have my email! MirOwner, Wicked GroundsMir@WickedGrounds.com