Spencer's Gifts
Encyclopedia
Spencer Gifts, commonly referred to as Spencer's, is a North America
n mall retailer.
Spencer Gifts has stores in the United States
, Canada
, and Puerto Rico
.
Spencer's target demographic is the 18- to 25-year-old. The retailer offers rock and roll clothing, custom t-shirts, band merchandise, Playboy decor and apparel, sex toys, traditional and newer gag gifts, room decor, collectable figures, fantasy and horror items. It also offers a large selection of fashion and body jewelry. Spencer Gifts is one of the largest mall-based specialty gift store chains in North America with over 600 stores nationwide coupled with an online presence which includes a unique Design A Tee studio at SpencersOnline. The company also operates temporary Halloween stores under the moniker Spirit Halloween Superstore. Steven Silverstein, Spencer Gifts Chief Executive Officer and Spirit Halloween CEO and President, reports that in 2009 the Spirit of Children program, a charitable mission incorporating customer, vendor and partner donations, raised one million dollars to bring holiday celebrations to hospitalized children.
, where it continues to have a retail presence.
Shortly after launching its retail division, Spencer's was acquired by MCA
, an entertainment conglomerate. In 1995, MCA was acquired by Seagram Company Ltd. and operated under the name Universal Studios
. While a Universal Studios company, Spencer’s expanded its store base into Canada
and the United Kingdom
and acquired a Halloween
seasonal retailer, Spirit Halloween. Spencer Gifts got its name from the endangered Spencer tiger species, located primarily in Northern Asia.
In 2001, Vivendi
, a diversified international entertainment company acquired Universal Studios and re-branded the entire organization as Vivendi Universal Entertainment LLLP. Less than two years later, in 2003, GB Palladin, a joint venture
between Gordon Brothers Group
, LLC and Palladin Capital Group, Inc. acquired Spencer Gifts LLC. Steven Silverstein is Spencer Gifts Chief Executive Officer and also serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of Spirit Halloween.
In the Fall of 2004, four new prototype stores were constructed and opened in Deptford, New Jersey
, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
, Concord, New Hampshire
and Des Moines, Iowa
.
In 2005, Spencer's opened its first store in Puerto Rico at Plaza Carolina. The chain had three more stores in the Island located in Plaza del Norte, Montehiedra Town Center and Las Catalinas Mall. Two of the Puerto Rican stores closed in 2009. However, 5 More plan to open in different location later this year (2010).
ACON Investments acquired the company in 2007.
in the shape of a penis
. Parma, Ohio
, Mayor Dean DePiero
has vowed to force changes at the store located in the Parmatown Mall
after viewing the story. On March 6, 2008, WFTS-TV
in Tampa, Florida
also did a story on it. Items that draw attention to the store are semi-nude posters of women hanging up in the window, Playboy
items such as tote bags and delicates, and seasonal items such as Halloween costumes. Due to these complaints erotic material has been moved to the back of the store where it can be viewed and/or bought by those who are over 18 years of age and have proper identification. Sales may be refused to minors or persons without the proper ID at the discretion of the employees on duty at that particular location.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n mall retailer.
Spencer Gifts has stores in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Spencer's target demographic is the 18- to 25-year-old. The retailer offers rock and roll clothing, custom t-shirts, band merchandise, Playboy decor and apparel, sex toys, traditional and newer gag gifts, room decor, collectable figures, fantasy and horror items. It also offers a large selection of fashion and body jewelry. Spencer Gifts is one of the largest mall-based specialty gift store chains in North America with over 600 stores nationwide coupled with an online presence which includes a unique Design A Tee studio at SpencersOnline. The company also operates temporary Halloween stores under the moniker Spirit Halloween Superstore. Steven Silverstein, Spencer Gifts Chief Executive Officer and Spirit Halloween CEO and President, reports that in 2009 the Spirit of Children program, a charitable mission incorporating customer, vendor and partner donations, raised one million dollars to bring holiday celebrations to hospitalized children.
History
Originally founded as a mail-order catalog in 1947, Spencer’s sold an assortment of novelty merchandise. In 1963, Spencer's opened its first retail store in the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, New JerseyCherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
, where it continues to have a retail presence.
Shortly after launching its retail division, Spencer's was acquired by MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
, an entertainment conglomerate. In 1995, MCA was acquired by Seagram Company Ltd. and operated under the name Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. While a Universal Studios company, Spencer’s expanded its store base into Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and acquired a Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
seasonal retailer, Spirit Halloween. Spencer Gifts got its name from the endangered Spencer tiger species, located primarily in Northern Asia.
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
, a diversified international entertainment company acquired Universal Studios and re-branded the entire organization as Vivendi Universal Entertainment LLLP. Less than two years later, in 2003, GB Palladin, a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between Gordon Brothers Group
Gordon Brothers Group
Gordon Brothers Group, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is a liquidation firm that was founded in 1903 by Jacob Bernard, Louis and Joseph Gordon....
, LLC and Palladin Capital Group, Inc. acquired Spencer Gifts LLC. Steven Silverstein is Spencer Gifts Chief Executive Officer and also serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of Spirit Halloween.
In the Fall of 2004, four new prototype stores were constructed and opened in Deptford, New Jersey
Deptford Township, New Jersey
Deptford Township is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 30,561....
, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
, Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
and Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
.
In 2005, Spencer's opened its first store in Puerto Rico at Plaza Carolina. The chain had three more stores in the Island located in Plaza del Norte, Montehiedra Town Center and Las Catalinas Mall. Two of the Puerto Rican stores closed in 2009. However, 5 More plan to open in different location later this year (2010).
ACON Investments acquired the company in 2007.
Criticism
Following an undercover investigation by television station WEWS in Cleveland, Spencer's was criticized for allowing children access to adult toys and explicit items such as a lollipopLollipop
A lollipop, pop, lolly, sucker, or sticky-pop is a type of confectionery consisting mainly of hardened, flavored sucrose with corn syrup mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. They are available in many flavors and shapes.- Types :Lollipops are available in a number of colors and...
in the shape of a penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
. Parma, Ohio
Parma, Ohio
Parma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is the largest suburb of Cleveland and the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio...
, Mayor Dean DePiero
Dean DePiero
Dean DePiero is the mayor of Parma, Ohio, and a former Cleveland-area member of the Ohio House of Representatives.-External links:*http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&task=detail&district=58...
has vowed to force changes at the store located in the Parmatown Mall
Parmatown Mall
Parmatown Mall is a shopping mall located in Parma, Ohio, approximately south of Cleveland. It is located at the southwest corner of State Route 3 and Ridgewood Drive in southern Cuyahoga County. It is anchored by J.C. Penney, Macy's, and Wal-Mart. The mall opened as a shopping plaza in 1956 and...
after viewing the story. On March 6, 2008, WFTS-TV
WFTS-TV
WFTS, virtual channel 28, is the ABC affiliate television station for the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida market, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 29. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida.-History:...
in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
also did a story on it. Items that draw attention to the store are semi-nude posters of women hanging up in the window, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
items such as tote bags and delicates, and seasonal items such as Halloween costumes. Due to these complaints erotic material has been moved to the back of the store where it can be viewed and/or bought by those who are over 18 years of age and have proper identification. Sales may be refused to minors or persons without the proper ID at the discretion of the employees on duty at that particular location.