I'd like to say I was on patrol for the perfect skirt, or a fun pair of patent-leather sandals.

Instead, I was browsing figurines engaged in sex acts, kits for oral sex and a rather remarkable array of vibrators.

My shopping companion was Renee Hodges, the Durham mother who has -- somewhat reluctantly, it turns out -- become the leader of an ad-hoc group of parents trying to get Spencer's Gifts and other retailers to limit minors' access to materials that may be viewed as pornographic.

Hodges and her cohort's efforts were featured on the local news -- and "Good Morning America." Afterward, I wrote about my own teenage visits to Spencer's -- ah, the black lights -- and how the store has always been raunchy. That's part of its trademark.

Turns out Hodges had the same remembrances of Spencer's.

But she thinks Spencer's has gotten worse in the past five years, under new national ownership.

"They've gone past fake poo and whoopee cushions and dirty posters," she said.

To prove her point, she brought an elegant Bloomingdale's tote stuffed to the brim with: A keychain that moans with orgasmic sounds, and board games and books describing sex positions and recommending multiple partners for greater carnal enjoyment.

She also pulled out a Rabbit vibrator just like one of her kids bought as a joke a few years ago.

That's how this whole thing got started. Hodges and friends began writing letters, to Spencer's and to local malls. No response.

They made a DVD of the materials, which they tried to post on YouTube. Ironically, it was flagged and removed because of the inappropriate content.

But at this point, her mission has gone beyond Spencer's itself. She has learned how hard it is to get anyone to enforce laws limiting minors' access to such material.

The state Attorney General's Office informed her it has no one to handle such cases. Officials there pointed her to the local police.

At Durham's police headquarters, officers told her that to make an impact, they would need proof that a minor had bought an item, and they would need a jury to agree that the minor had been harmed by the purchase.

Hodges still hopes Durham District Attorney David Saacks will help.

In other cities and states, a combination of legal action and pressure from the public have brought results -- some of which are already obvious at Spencer's stores in the Triangle.

At Southpoint, the store has replaced its original postcard-size "adult materials" sign with something a bit more noticeable.

The store has also consolidated the most aggressively sexual items into one section, at the back.

And the Rabbit vibrators have been moved to a bottom shelf -- albeit under a display of dildos.

The issue is the community standard for pornography. But obscenity is often in the eye of the beholder. Hodges and I viewed the store, and her own treasure trove of raunch, with different eyes.

But Hodges doesn't want to stop Spencer's from selling the stuff. She would like Spencer's and other stores to set off the adult material in a section where ID would be required. Perhaps behind a curtain.

Knowing Spencer's, it would probably increase business.