Initial thoughts of a spy shop may bring to mind black and white images from old James Bond movies, but locally owned Central Spy Shop strives to be a modernized shop with all the newest gadgets in stock.
"We have everything from spy cameras that can be used in nanny situations—clocks, fans, radios—to audio recorders and GPS trackers," store manager Teressa Peterson said.
One of two brick-and-mortar spy shops in the Houston area, Central Spy Shop opened in the Copperfield area about a year and a half ago in response to growth in the area and to cater to a wide range of customers.
"Our customers can be anyone from a local school teacher to a private investigator or law enforcement official—it's so broad," Peterson said.
Among the items available at the shop are dummy cameras, hidden safes, spy masks, stun guns, tasers and other specialty items that are tested out by employees before going on the shelf.
"We have good policies set in place so customers know what they're buying," Peterson said. "We test our products; we don't just sell people anything."
Central Spy Shop carries a variety of audio recording and GPS tracking devices, some of which can be viewed on the user's computer or smart phone.
"It will show you incoming and outgoing texts, calls and GPS tracking from the phone itself," Peterson said. "You can access all that information online. It's similar to the computer software we have, you can be on your own computer somewhere else and access it through your email."
Employees also keep up to date on laws related to audio and video recording to inform customers of any legal issues related to audio and video recording in public and private places along with installing a GPS tracker on a vehicle.
"You need to have ownership of the vehicle, like a link by marriage or if you are the parent or guardian," Peterson said. "You can't just go put [a tracker] on your boyfriend's car."
In addition to offering the newest products, Central Spy Shop prides itself on having a family atmosphere, Peterson said.
"The owners really set in stone a family atmosphere," she said. "It's more than just a business."
Surveillance options
Central Spy Shop offers a wide variety of hidden surveillance options at the store and online, including body-worn cameras.
Spy pen—Records both audio and video onto a MicroSD card.
Spy sunglasses—Featuring an 8-gigabite harddrive and built-in MP3 player, the sunglasses can record audio and video.
Neck tie camera—This tie includes a hidden low-light camera.
Baby video monitor—This gadget can record video and take pictures while also giving parents the ability to view a live feed from a separate monitor.
Central Spy Shop
7087 Hwy. 6 N.Houston 281-550-7797
www.centralspyshop.com
Hours: Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
