Spencer's Gifts

Are they still around?

I bought this Apollonia poster at Spencer's at Tel-12 Mall in Southfield, Michigan

I used to love Spencer's! That's where I first saw this poster as a horny gay teen, then went home and wanked off thinking about it.

So much fun, useless shit.

I bought this:

71 years of Novelties and Gags

Before Pornhub, there was the greeting/birthday card section at Spencer's.

They are hilarious. I used to look around in there all the time when I went to the mall. Never really really bought anything there except for a deck of Tarot cards and a book on how to use them.

It was in every mall in the usa. If you DIDNT go there you never went to a mall.

They had a special X-rated corner. I don't know why it was all in a special corner because none of the staff ever told kids not to go over there.

I would always make a beeline to the very back of the store, where the adult novelty gifts were. The item that cracked me up the most was a pair of underwear (men's briefs) made to be worn by two people simultaneously. The package had a photo of a male and female torso pressed up against each other due to the design of the underwear. I thought it was funny, even though I didn't get how that might be convenient for a certain activity. There were also penis-shaped pasta, and "bridal shower" games. Before I got too close a look at all the goods, my mother would find me and yell at me to get out of that aisle.

Does anyone remember that 1970s poster with the naked man sitting on a toilet, he's in the middle of a row of toilets, and the caption was "The job isn't finished until the paperwork is done?"

Spencers used to sell that poster.

R11, was he holding a newspaper?

I once saw an inflatable strap-on penis ring toss game that was for bachelorette parties there once.

My favorite store in the mall is actually Box Lunch. They're owned by Hot Topic and every dollar spent at BL goes towards food for the needy.

[quote][R11], was he holding a newspaper?

Oops, I misremembered. He was on the end toilet.

My friend and I would go to the mall a few times a week but were really just going there to end up at Spencer's for masturbation material.

Didn't they attempt to disguise the vibrators as neck or back massagers? Except they were phallic shaped.

Fun times. Remember traveling with my friend to the mall which was about an hour drive away. We'd always go into Spencer's, and the music/video and book stores.

So many cheesy gifts. I loved it.

I can remember going in middle school, and seeing the edible underwear and vibrators in the back. I remember that they had sex cards and games. I used to love to buy prank gifts there. Plastic poop, disappearing ink pen, fake ants (to put on someone’s food)...good times.

I loved Spencer's back in the 70s. A visit was my reward for patiently shopping with my parents. I bought a lamp which would spin around and put psychedelic rainbow colors on my walls, and incense. I didn't know which bothered my parents more. I wasn't doing drugs, if that's what they were thinking. I did see a puzzle of Christopher George's full-frontal centerfold in Playgirl. That's something I couldn't buy and get away with.

There was also a wooden board with Tom Jones on the front and had layered doors which when opened, gradually revealed the clothes under his clothes. When you opened up the doors for his undershirt and tighty-whities, he was naked underneath. Of course the area under his navel was drawn and painted, but it showed a long cock, a really big curly black bush and large round balls in his sack. For a brief moment I was able to enjoy it, but my Mom came to the back of the store to retrieve me. I never saw it again, but that image stayed with me. I prayed and played he would pose full-frontal for Playgirl, just so I could have a repeat of what I saw.

Here it is. The complete photo was on the bottom of the box.

This is the puzzle image. OK, I'll stop now.

Spencer's was all about the posters

[quote]Spencer's was all about the posters

And the lava lamps, black lights and psychedelic lamps

My second job was as a cashier in Spencer Gifts

Don't forget all the not quite head shop stuff like blacklights. They are probably the one first generation mall store that remains in business. Generations of 12-14 year old boys have kept them going all these years. They were the suburban, somewhat sanitized version of novelty stores that ages ago were common in odd corners of downtown business districts.

It definitely had its own scent. A cross between plastic and incense. It was a heady place.

I’m 33 and When I was a teenager The one in my city didn’t have security cameras, so we used to steal like we were on Supermarket Sweep. Mostly sex toys and t shirts. I didn’t realize the store had been around for so long.

I bought this poster there.

My uncle ran a magic shop for a long time before Spencer’s landed in the local mall. After Spencer’s appeared, he started getting into more novelty stuff. Mugs, black light posters, even weed pipes. The heat was on, and the Magic was gone.

I loved going to the mall, but Spencer’s made me sad.

Apparently my 16-y/o niece shops here for some clothing and accessories, who knew?!? I was kind of horrified when she told me. I was just glad I was able to choke back the words, “Oh! That’s why you look so cheap.”

My first job in high school was at Spencer gifts at tysons corner mall in No. Va.

I always thought "Over Our Heads" was an homage to Spencer's

I spent hours in that store but never bought a damn thing ever.

I bought this poster at Spencer's and when the Playboy and Penthouse of her came out my dad taped hair under her arms. Such a little gay fit I threw!

My mom used to tell a story about going into Spencer's with me when I was really young. I wandered away and found a golden vibrator, which I brought it back to my mom and asked her to buy me the "golden crayon." She used to laugh at how the other people in the store reacted in horror.

I didn't realize Madonna had the kind of hotness that would fit in alongside with the big-titted Playboy model bikini chicks until I saw that poster at R34

Circa 1989, ninth grade, I remember my friends had the idea to all go to Spencer's in the mall. I was so thrilled beforehand. But when we went I felt underwhelmed, because I had it in my head that it was going to be wall-to-wall hardcore sex. Some slightly naught cards and edible underwear seemed tame compared to my imagination.

You could always count on them for the latest Christina Applegate poster.

A huge seller. Today, PETA would burn the store down if they saw it in a store.

R1 - Yep! I go to the one in Newport Mall for My Hero Academia, Walking Dead and GoT merchandise. They have a store employee blocking the sex toy area in the back from kids.

So who was Spencer?

What is at R39’s link? Why would PETA be pissed? Can’t view links/images on my computer.

r41:

Warning cat lovers - R39 is a cat hanging by a barb wire with the slogan “hang in there baby“. shitty poster

Alyssa Milano had a poster in the 80s that didn't airbrush out her treasure trail

I wanted a t shirt that said “put something exciting between you legs” (motorcycle) but mom said nothing doing

Interesting, they also do the Halloween Spirit pop-up stores, which contribute to half their annual revenue.

In ninth grade (1984) I bought a clear plastic belt there , but it had a liquid inside so it moved around when worn. Hard to explain, but it made the cool kids like me for a hot minute.

In the mid 70s my goony teenaged girl neighbor bought a very popular Donny Osmond poster that had his autograph already printed on it.

It was "signed", "Love ya lots! Donny"

r49 And how often did you jerk off to it?

Ewww, r49! Never!

I was more into Bobby Sherman!

R48: You were never cool and ther always was an aspect of Spencer's that wasn't quite cool but always kitsch.

R48 It didn’t have glitter floating around in it?