Ask HN: What are these “spy shops” setup in small towns doing exactly?

I live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

There is a "spy shop" setup downtown [0], in one of the ritziest and priciest of locations. It's been there for a number of years, close to a decade if I had to guess.

I have never been in personally. It just seems so strange.

What on earth could a regular person possibly need or be purchasing regularly from a "spy shop"?

They sell video surveillance equipment, but so does Costco for a fraction of their price.

What gives?

The only thing I can come up with is couples spying on each other (I have actually been commissioned to do this before in this very same town, where said couple ended up getting married after the woman confirmed that the man was not cheating on her.)

[0] http://privateeyespyshop.com/