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Weird, wonderful surplus,
from army boots to airline seats - Best of the West
"If you need a battleship or a hunting knife, we have it or we'll
get it." This message, on a sign over the door at Union War Surplus in
San Pedro, California (listed here), tells you what makes poking
through such a store a singular experience. Our request for your
favorite surplus stores led us to several purveyors of mess kits, pea
coats, and olive drab underwear, as well as more unusual gear. Need a
big hunk of aluminum or a spinnaker? Read on.
Boeing Surplus, out on Old West Valley Highway in Kent, Washington,
is exactly what its name implies: this company store sells items
related to the business of building and operating big airplanes, from
seat fabric and galley carts to office furniture and scrap aluminum.
(Alas, structural aircraft parts and fasteners are no longer sold.)
Puyallup reader Jean Minch writes, "We usually go there for some
special reason and then end up with a carload of great treasures. We
are amused to watch the customers browse. They will pick up some item
and you can almost see the wheels turn as they imagine what they can
use it for." The store is at the corner of Old West Valley Highway and
S. 208th St.; for information, call (206) 393-4060.
Self-professed inveterate consignment shopper Jean Cleaves of Penn
Valley gave us a rundown on stores all over California, but the one she
zeroed in on was Sierra Building Surplus in Grass Valley. This surplus
and salvage outlet carries everything from new hardware, lighting, and
plumbing supplies to old sinks, power tools, and non-standard-size
mirrors from a strip mall closeout. Sierra Building Surplus is on
LaBarr Meadows Rd.; call (916) 477-7838.
In Redwood City, California, hobbyist Al Norton likes to poke around
the parts and pieces of steel, aluminum, brass, and copper at Alan
Steel & Supply to choose some for his cabinetry and furniture
projects and architectural detailing. "This place has tons of wonderful
metal," he says. "As you walk through the large indoor warehouse and
outdoor yard, you can't help but ask yourself, 'What is this thing,
where did it come from, what was it for, and how can I use it in a
project?'" Alan Steel is just east of U.S. Highway 101 at the Whipple
Road off-ramp; call (415) 369-2526.
Dennis Young of Canoga Park, California, writes fondly of Union War
Surplus Store in San Pedro. "What I love about the place is that you
can walk up to the nearest clerk, ask for whatever it is you're looking
for, and the clerk will immediately respond with something like 'That's
three aisles to your left, down about the middle of the aisle. It's
right between the baseball gloves and the garden hoses.' And whatever
you're looking for is always right there!" Union War is a classic
Army-Navy surplus store at 355 W. Sixth St., near the harbor; call
(310) 833-2949.
Faye Petrack tells us of a similar browser's paradise, M & I
Surplus in her hometown of Pomona, California. "Every inch of the
13,000-square-foot store is jam-packed with wonderful stuff! From
French foreign legion hats to cowboy hats, from Army blankets to
'space' blankets, from entrenching tools to dental tools, and
everything in between." M & I Surplus is at 2090 N. Garey Ave.;
call (909) 596-1924.
Finally, Don Bartz of Costa Mesa, California, tips us off to
Minney's Ship Chandlery. If you're looking for something that goes - or
went - on a yacht, Minney's has it, from compasses to used sails and
bow pulpits to anchors. "I know of nowhere else that stainless steel
nuts and bolts can be bought by the pound rather than in little
antiseptic plastic bags at enormous prices," Bartz says. Minney's is at
1500 Old Newport Blvd.; call (714) 548-4192.
COPYRIGHT 1995 Sunset Publishing Corp.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
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