The year is 1977: the Sex Pistols' "Never Mind the B******s" debuts at number one in the charts, police are hunting a serial killer called the Yorkshire Ripper and Star Wars is shown for the first time in the UK.
In the same year, Millicent Marr purchases a boutique clothing store called Cherry Pye on Drayton Green Road and a year later opens a business that survives three separate recessions and still thrives today.
The wife and mother, who after four decades shows no sign of retiring, says the best part of her job and the secret to her success is getting to know the people who come to her.
It's 'more personal' than chains like Ann Summers
She said: "We've lasted a long time because my business is unique, it's different even to chains like Ann Summers because it's more personal. People like to come here to chat and I've had some customers returning for 25 years.
"They ask for my advice for sexual problems, particularly guys who have erectile dysfunction. Listening to their problems and helping them is the best thing about the job. It's amazing what people tell me even though they've never met me before.
"That said, it helps that the things I sell never go out of fashion because sex doesn't go out of date. I could have the same clothes here from January to December and they would still sell, whereas a normal clothes store has to keep up with the trends."
Having started purely as a store selling erotic clothing, it is unsurprising that these items remain her best sellers. Millicent estimates that 90% of her customers are men looking to buy lingerie, ranging in age from 35 to 80.
She is keen to point out that she does not consider Cherry Pye, which sells everything from penis push-pins to £4,000 customisable realistic dolls, a "sex shop".
She said: "A sex shop is when they black out the windows, I would say I'm a shop that sells sexy clothing and adult toys. The window is raunchy but not obscene, I think that's another reason people like it.
"I have people coming here who would be embarrassed to go somewhere else. You get people in wheelchairs who come to buy vibrators and even a vicar once years ago.
"I enjoy this job tremendously because I meet a lot of interesting people and it helps that nothing shocks me. People used to be a lot more shy about it but now a lot of them are into things like bondage. Normal sex is boring so they want the fantasy.
"Most of all in 2018 people like dressing up. My best seller is probably the thigh-high boots, along with stuff like the suspenders or body stockings. I've also noticed that anal sex is the in thing now, that started happening about five years ago."
However, despite certain trends, Millicent's client-base is far from homogenous and she offers a space even for those who might feel sidelined by the mainstream industry, including transvestites and exotic dancers looking for work outfits.
She added: "Ealing is unique in that it has a lot of lesbians, more than other places, although I don't get as many gay guys. I also get a lot of guys coming in who are religious and aren't allowed to have girlfriends.
"I think it helps that we're situated on the outskirts as most of my customers come from further out so I'm their first port of call coming into London. I get a lot of customers from the airport who have come here on holiday."
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Whatever the reason, it's clear Cherry Pye has succeeded where other West Ealing businesses have floundered. She was able to purchase the estate agents next door 25 years ago to expand her shop and in the late 90s her son set up a website for her at www.cherrypye.com .
She said: "The area has changed tremendously since I arrived, it's not like what it was 40 years ago. Most of the shops that were here are gone.
"Thankfully for me, sex will never die, it's a great form of entertainment. This store is a part of my identity now, that's why I've kept going for so long."
