General > General Technical Chat
Electronics surplus stores of yesteryear
bob91343:
It was the middle-to-late 1940s. I was becoming an adolescent. My dad worked from home as a watchmaker. Often he would go to watchmaker's alley in Manhattan, more properly known as Maiden Lane. Lots of supply houses and such, geared to watch and clock people. Dad would send me there on errands, so I went from the Bronx to Maiden Lane via the subway. I remember places like Phillip Sloves and Paulson's.
Once there, and having transacted whatever business was necessary, I would traipse westward on Maiden Lane. When I crossed Broadway, the street name changed to Cortlandt Street.
Need I say more?
Today I went to my local electronics store, All Electronics in Van Nuys, California. It helped me relive some of those old times. Against the wall are dozens, maybe hundreds, of electronics items, a sort of museum. Meters, generators, much more. It gave me much pleasure once again seeing beautiful old stuff.
andy3055:
Al Lasher's Electronics
After 60 years in business they closed on 31st December 2020. So sad!
Nice photo of the couple who were the owners on their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/LashersElectronics/
ocw:
While most of their parts did not rate as surplus, I liked Poly Paks.
I can probably still dig up a few of those.
wn1fju:
What I remember most about wandering around Radio Row in New York City was the prices. Or should I say, lack of prices. It wasn't like going into an ordinary electronics store where there were prices marked on each item. No, on Radio Row, you would pick an item out of a barrel and bring it up to the the store owner. He would look at you, particularly how you were dressed, and base his price upon his guess as to how much you were able to pay.
Being from the "wealthy" Connecticut suburbs, my mother wouldn't let me out of the house unless I was properly dressed, especially when I was taking the train into the "City." But I finally convinced her I needed to dress like a bum when I was headed to Radio Row.
bob91343:
I find it amusing reading what all these codgers have to say about memories. We had an almost unique experience with these stores. It's too bad there isn't much of that any more. Even Tucker is gone, not that I could afford their prices. That's why swap meets are so much fun. I enjoy mostly commisserating with the vendors and sharing memories. I still have a BC-221 I got from a swap meet a couple of years ago. I don't use it but it was fun for a while. Not to speak of my Q meters and RX meter.
I would love to find a few people who might help me downsize. I am overwhelmed with all this stuff.
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