SUNNY SURPLUS IS GOING OUT OF BIDNESS

[peep]

They have already declared bankrupcy and are liquidating stock. They'll prolly shut their doors reeeaaalll soon. This could be good for people like you and me who enjoy buying things cheap. I for one will miss their utilitarian style clothing which I would always try on, then find cheaper on the internet.

Also if you have a gift card of some sort you better usify that like right now.

[theCryptofishist]

I for one will miss their utilitarian style clothing which I would always try on, then find cheaper on the internet.

Dang, you think if fewer people did that, they might have stayed in business?

[peep]

You're right... Maybe we could help out all the stores by just paying retail price no matter how inflated it is!

Or maybe when all the little mom'n'pop army surplus stores that got shut down by the SUNNYS chain come back, I'll get the f*** off the internet and check them out. The only one that exists near me right now is run by a bunch of neo-nazis.

[Eric]

You're right... Maybe we could help out all the stores by just paying retail price no matter how inflated it is!

Inflated by, oh, I don't know: rent, electric bills, payroll, benefits, storage of merchandise, training of employees......

Sorry, I work in the retail world, and lots of people are going & getting the knowledge of a brick & mortar store that has real overhead, then going online & buying cheap from some company that has 3 American employees, a call center somewhere offshore & little or no overhead as they have the merchandise direct shipped from a wholesaler somewhere to the customer.

If everyone keeps doing that you won't have a chance to get real input, as those of us who could give it to you where laid off due to lack of business.

And then everyone will whine that they can't get decent service anymore....

*bleh*

I will and do pay more to help keep local retailers in business- it only benefits me & my community in the long run.

[theCryptofishist]

(thanks, eric)

[robotland]

Here in Kazoo we just lost Gerber's Army Surplus, a venerable establishment that goes back to at least the Korean War. They used to occupy a magnificent old building downtown, with scary freight elevators and ancient belt-driven ceiling fans and an absolutely extraordinary collection of what we called "OD(Olive Drab) Treats". Back in the Nineties the city "needed a new parking structure" (which later went BANKRUPT- Don't ask me HOW.) and booted them out, demolishing the grand old building and relegating them to a crappy modern stripmall box by the highway. It took 'em a dozen years to die, but die they did and I'll miss them a lot. Flipflops or a CD or some LEDs I'll buy online. But how do you appreciate the patina on a vintage artillery shell, or inspect the stitching on a Chinese cartridge belt? Not to mention rooting through the closeout bins.
I found an amazing place about fifty miles north of SLC, on my way back from the burn last year. The inside part seemed about four acres large, and then there was a scrapyard with huge heaps of WWII-era helmets, whole military train cars, and myriad fascinating widgets to covet. I bought ONE folding sawhorse, just because I was so in love with its clever mechanism. I hope to go there when I die.

[theCryptofishist]

I wish i could remember the name of the surplus store in Oroville where I bought my Tania Truck. Fantastic place, all sorts of old arms and river-crossing troop carriers.

so much more fun to see in person rather than online.

[robotland]

Years ago on a trip with Dad, we stopped at the big aircraft boneyard in Arizona...(He's retired Air Force, and I think he made up some kind of "official business" for us to be on.)
I STILL want a B-29 for a summer cottage. And a set of dining room ejection seats. And some drop tanks. And nose cones. And.....

[peep]

Yeah.. Like I said, when the mom'n pops come back, I will go to them. Gladly! I loved those old places. And the people always had a story to tell. I don't mind paying money in person for something, I don't even mind paying more money than I would find it online- I do mind paying what I consider "way too much money" for something, when I know I can find it cheaper. Or used. I buy a lot of used. I also buy "broken" and fix it. Sorry some of you got offended by my statement but I'm not rich, so I do what I can to offset my cost of living. Done.

So Sunny's going down doesn't break my heart, sorry. Not when they sloppily took the place of actual outdoor stores and surplus stores I enjoyed. Do I feel bad for the employees? Of course. I've been given the pink slip before. And I've given the pink slip. To say the least about what I do for a living.

Sorry you feel bad. I don't.

[peep]

...Sounds like you just described heaven for me, Robot...

[robotland]

I even designed a compound! A hilltop spot, with a ring of maybe a dozen large aircraft fuselages linked nose-to-tail and all buried under sod except for the windows and a few strategic hatches. The inside of the ring would be a courtyard filled with junk art fountains, gazebos and gardens of exotic flowers and produce. The main entrance would be through a tunnel made from the body and rear cargo ramp mechanism of a big cargo plane, through which you'd drive in and park as though in the belly of a whale. Downhill from the compound would be orchards and a pine forest bordering the grazing and romping areas for my exotic menagerie.

[Uriah]

There's a really neat place in North Hollywood called Norton Sales Inc. (or is it Norton Supply Inc...not sure). They specialize in surplus from the aerospace industry and have everything from quick release cotter pins to a rocket engine to the second stage of the Saturn 5 rocket.

Their prices aren't super cheap, but they definitely beat buying new stuff. Check em out if you happen to be in the area, they're great for random pieces for sculptures and such.

[dragonfly Jafe]

I found an amazing place about fifty miles north of SLC, on my way back from the burn last year. The inside part seemed about four acres large, and then there was a scrapyard with huge heaps of WWII-era helmets, whole military train cars, and myriad fascinating widgets to covet. I bought ONE folding sawhorse, just because I was so in love with its clever mechanism. I hope to go there when I die.

We did training several times in Utah just so we could stop by that mecca of surplus. Wandering the outside lots is awe inspiring (and a little dangerous). Strict rationing of available space in the vehicles was required, otherwise the purchases would fill the rescue trucks leaving no room for people....

There is another similar (but smaller) one in eastern Idaho I just saw (but haven't been to yet). The "vintage" family store in Boise shut down a few years ago (sniff') - Koppel's, I miss yah' (as well as Gerber's - I cut my camping teeth on gear purchased there).

[Tiahaar]

There is another similar (but smaller) one in eastern Idaho I just saw (but haven't been to yet).

Hey yes do you mean the one just south of Idaho Falls? 'Cause there's one there and that's where my folks live so on the holiday visit my dad and I drove over and spent several hours. There were even big bundles of surplus EMT 1" that were crying to be made into domes...if I'd been in my truck...anyway got various bits and pieces and like 3 dozen purple yarn boas of all things. My dad was just rolling his eyes when I told them they'd be perfect for desert costumes : )

[LeChatNoir]

Ever heard of Dr. Evermore and the Forevertron?





http://www.dreamtimevillage.org/gallery ... orevertron

http://www.folkart.org/mag/evermor/evermor.html