International Spy Shop

     Visitors to the International Spy Shop range from the curious to the serious: Fisherman’s Wharf tourists strolling past who want to buy the CIA T-shirt in the window as well as private investigators who have their eye on the latest GPS tracking device that they can use for surveillance.  
      It’s an odd, but intriguing, shop to visit. The fun, inexpensive items are at the front for casual visitors, like the T-shirts that read “Border Patrol” and “I Was Never Here”; the surveillance sunglasses that let you see sideways; and fake mustaches. But as you walk further into the store, the products get pricier and more serious.
      The biggest variety of products are the hidden recording devices—tiny cameras and microphones hidden inside everything from pens and watches to teddy bears and smoke alarms. There are high-tech spying products, like GPS devices that parents or employers can plant on vehicles to see where their teen or employee drives—and how fast. There are low-tech products, like the device that lets you hear through walls. There are “key loggers” that can be embedded in laptops or smartphones used to monitor emails, whether the unsuspecting individual is a cheating spouse or a possible terrorist. There are even lock-picking tools.
     Privacy and ethical issues abound, but it’s all legal. There are a few defensive weapons, too, like stun guns and pepper spray, plus a display of medieval weapons for collectors, but no guns. Like the best spy novel or movie, this shop is all about the intrigue, not the violence.

- by Bob Cooper, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Bob Cooper

Bob Cooper is a full-time freelance writer (www.bob-cooper.com) who writes about travel, outdoor sports and health. He is a monthly contributor to Runner's World and has written recent articles for other national magazines such as Continental, Ladies' Home Journal and Inc.