Fifty Shades of Grey Sparks Rise in S&M, Bondage, Rope Sales

Fifty Shades of Grey is a must-read for women everywhere. Apparently, the EL James novel is also making S&M and bondage gear a must-buy for some.

The buzzed-about book has left unassuming New York women so feverish, they’ve been snapping up the tools and toys that the hunky Christian Grey favors.

They’re even slipping into stores and asking for bondage material - the type of natural filament rope used in the trilogy - the New York Post reports.

“Oh, we’ve been selling rope to women,” says Clifton Kahn, owner of Lexington Hardware on the Upper East Side. “I’d say tenfold more rope than usual."

"The women are definitely buying, and it’s still continuing.”

Apparently tying someone up isn't expensive. The store’s most popular item is soft-cotton “clothes line” rope, which retails at a bargain $5 for 50 feet.

Tarzian Hardware in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has also seen the trend.

“It’s usually men buying rope, but women, they’ve been coming in the last few months,” the manager told the newspaper. “I’ve actually read the book. So when the women began buying rope, it was kind of like, ‘Hmmm, that does seem unusual.’”

While New Yorkers act out their S&M fantasies, casting the movie roles of Christian and Anastasia has become an online fantasy game of sorts this spring.

Some stars, such as Ian Somerhalder, have expressed interest in the film themselves. Who can you see as the two leads? Vote in our polls below!

Who should play Christian?

Who should play Ana?