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Landmark Old Portland sex shop Spartacus Leathers has closed its doors permanently.
A sign on the door at 300 SW 12th Ave. says the location is permanently closed.
“Thank you for decades of fun!”
Spartacus ownership did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment. An employee packing up inventory inside the shop June 18 also waved off a request for comment, saying “I can’t answer any questions.”
Spartacus has been a prominent business on the corner of Southwest 12th Avenue and Burnside Street since 1987. Especially before sex toys were easily available online, walking through the doors of Spartacus—or even past its window displays—was many a young Portlanders’ first glimpse into the world of kink, adult toys and dress-up. The shop offered all manner of bondage gear, leatherware, S&M tools and more. The sign on the door directs customers to the store’s website, spartacusleathers.com, which still offers inventory for sale.
The business was a stalwart in WW’s annual Best of Portland Readers’ Poll, winning the best sex shop category most years in the ‘00s. (“When you get down and dirty, Spartacus Leathers is the dealer that dominates,” WW wrote in 2004.) More recently, in 2025, the shop came in third behind SheBop and Fantasy.
