I do like the idea of rubber grips. Do you feel they rub you or squeeze too hard?
It's nice to hear how good they make you feel!
Funnily enough, I'm a fairly typical cis person (maybe a little bi in some ways). It's still cool to see how these communities interact and live. I was raised as a kid to hate anything other than straight and cis, so getting a chance to be involved with these communities is a bit of a new thing for me.
Going to shops like those is no problem for me. The main problem is there aren't many near where I live.