Old electronics shops in Melbourne: what's there today (video)

[vk3yedotcom]

Any electronics/radio boffin who was in Melbourne 1960s - 1990s may be interested in this video. 

A mix of old magazine ads and recent footage (yesterday!) it documents what's there now.

A surprising number of original buildings are still there. 

Most of them are now either restaurants or massage parlours.

This video is Part 1, covering about half of the places I know about.



Enjoy!

PS: Does anyone know the address of the former 'All Electronic Components'?  I believe they were in the city but none of my magazines had their ads.
PPS: Have now been told it's 118 Lonsdale.  Real old timers will remember it was previously occupied by ED&E.

[johnh]

All Electronics Components were at 118 Lonsdale St  next door to Wesley Uniting Church, now a pizza restaurant.

Bought out by Rocby Electronics and then closed down

[vk3yedotcom]

Thanks john - Rockby also seemed to clean up Rod Irving stuff if I recall.  Also some of their kits ended up in Preston Electronic Components (a quirky little shop that still sold valves).

[vk3yedotcom]

I was flicking through some old electronics magazine from the 70's and early 80's a few months ago It is a sign of the times I suppose seeing all those electronics shops closed and gone. But it is not just electronics hobbyists who are affected. Even in my local shopping center "Riordans Witchcraft Emporium" has moved on to be replaced by a Chinese massage or manicure shop I'm not sure which. Where's a witch supposed to go to get supplies?

In a similar vein, Bernard's Magic Shop moved out of the city not too long ago. And funny you should mention massage - one thing I'm intending to mention in Part 2 was the number of electronic-related shops that became massage parlours.  Eg both McGills newsagency sites, Master Electrics & Warburton Franki.  Either that or cafes.

[vk6zgo]

I was flicking through some old electronics magazine from the 70's and early 80's a few months ago It is a sign of the times I suppose seeing all those electronics shops closed and gone. But it is not just electronics hobbyists who are affected. Even in my local shopping center "Riordans Witchcraft Emporium" has moved on to be replaced by a Chinese massage or manicure shop I'm not sure which. Where's a witch supposed to go to get supplies?

In a similar vein, Bernard's Magic Shop moved out of the city not too long ago. And funny you should mention massage - one thing I'm intending to mention in Part 2 was the number of electronic-related shops that became massage parlours.  Eg both McGills newsagency sites, Master Electrics & Warburton Franki.  Either that or cafes.

Looks like they have gone upmarket!

There once was an Electronics shop at the top end of Hay St,in Perth.
It was right alongside a Brothel which had a reasonable sized parking area.

The Madam used to come over & berate the Manager for letting his "Geek" customers use her parking spaces!

[vk3yedotcom]

There once was an Electronics shop at the top end of Hay St,in Perth.

Wasn't Willis Trading was it?  I used to drool over their ads (being pretty much the only WA place that advertised in the 10 year old EA magazines I lived on) and remember being disappointed when they moved to Vic Park then closed down before I had much money to buy stuff.  Some compensation came from Worldwide in George St which wasn't far away and open early in the mornings.

Reading about electronic shops in other countries there does appear to be some association between their location and those of 'red light' areas. And I'm not just talking Fyshwick, ACT. I suspect it is that they, like pawnbroker shops, are in the less salubrious, low rent quarters of town.

Not that I'm sufficiently well travelled to vouch for it myself, but it's certainly been written about: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/blog/gadgets-on-the-go/akihabara-a-beginners-guide-to-the-ultimate-geek-pilgrimage-20130923-2ua1r.html

[jhalar]

one thing I'm intending to mention in Part 2 was the number of electronic-related shops that became massage parlours.  Eg both McGills newsagency sites, Master Electrics & Warburton Franki.  Either that or cafes.

The old Geoff Wood electronics shop I used to go to years ago at Lane Cove in Sydney is now a french cake shop.

[IconicPCB]

What happened to Stewart electronics.. I think they were somewhere in Clayton in the seventies?

[vk6zgo]

What happened to Stewart electronics.. I think they were somewhere in Clayton in the seventies?

Is that "the suburb you have when you're not having a suburb"?

[rickselectricalprojects]

i wonder when and if jaycar will be a thing of the past...

[rickselectricalprojects]

i wonder when and if jaycar will be a thing of the past...

I may not be all that interested in the novelty toys, party disco lights, drones and such that Jaycar has branched into but it does indicate Jaycar is run by someone who remains flexible and adaptive to changing market trends. They also stay away from highly commoditised things like computers and mobile phones. They don't have stores in expensive locations and the overheads seem under control. It seems to be a business that will continue to survive.

yeah i know that but i wonder when (or if) they will stop selling components.

[vk3yedotcom]

What happened to Stewart electronics.. I think they were somewhere in Clayton in the seventies?

Stewarts was run by Stewart Day and was still trading in the '90s. John Day had Daycom nearby for ham radio.

Not sure if it became a rod Irving, tecs or rock by before closing.

[IconicPCB]

vk3yedotcom,

Thanks for the comment..

Bought my first powerMOSFET at Stewarts..had to wait four weeks to get it in.. leading edge technology way back then

[vk3yedotcom]

The address of 261 Huntingdale Rd, Huntingdale was etched in my memory so I did some searching.  It's now Breville, Kambrook or some appliance place. But before that it was Rockby.  And Rod Irving before that.  Like how car dealers cluster so did electronic/electrical shops with 2 or 3 near each other.  I bought a transceiver from Daycom but wasn't around to visit the others. After that cluster fizzled out we had Billy Guyatts, Radio Parts, Dick Smith Power house, and for a short time Douglas Radio in Carnegie.

People might like some of the great yarns here:  http://www.edaboard.co.uk/what-about-melbourne-t357428.html

[digsys]

Don't forget Ellistronics. He ended up with a few stores, original one in that city area,  before he retired.
Radio parts started as a small store in that area as well, before he grew into 2 large stores, then 4-5, now 1.
There were 2-3 more as well. I have to wait until my "memory request" tickets are serviced.

[vk3yedotcom]

And now Part 2. 

[VK3DRB]

Here's my list where I used to hang out in the 70's and 80's...

McGraths
All Electronic Components
Japanese Transistor Supplies
Stewart Electronics
United Trade Sales
Tasman Electronics (in Coburg - they were a hidden gem just off Sydney Road, run by a young Italian family)
Ellistronics (the best!)
Radio Parts Group (had everything back then)
Ham Radio Supplies
Altronics
Dick Smith (if I had to)
Rod Iriving (if I really had to)
Tandy Electronics (last resort)

The north part of the central city of Melbourne was full of electronics stores. Now there are none. Jock Ellis has passed away I believe.

[vk3yedotcom]

Here's my list where I used to hang out in the 70's and 80's...

McGraths
All Electronic Components
Japanese Transistor Supplies
Stewart Electronics
United Trade Sales
Tasman Electronics (in Coburg - they were a hidden gem just off Sydney Road, run by a young Italian family)
Ellistronics (the best!)
Radio Parts Group (had everything back then)
Ham Radio Supplies
Altronics
Dick Smith (if I had to)
Rod Iriving (if I really had to)
Tandy Electronics (last resort)

A great list!  Curious about Altronics.  My understanding was that the '80s Altronics only had the Perth store (in Northbridge) but there were resellers interstate and in country areas.

Did the Melbourne CBD place brand itself Altronics and have most/all of their range?  (as opposed to the Tandy reseller model where a country appliance store would have a few hooks and shelves with Archer bits and Realistic amps)

From their catalogues and EA ads Rod Irving seemed to have a similar range to Altronics or Jaycar (with more PC stuff as the '90s wore on) but an eye opener has been the low opinion in which they were held (eg your post here and others' elsewhere).

[wagon]

I still remember the excitement of ordering parts for projects and looking in the mailbox everyday for a parcel.  I suppose a lot came from parts of Melbourne.

Like repair shops, parts shops are few and far between now.  All of the repair shops I ever worked in are gone now (except for my own business).

[Muttley Snickers]

Not sure if 1987 can be classed as old but all indicators are that they are still up and running and a handy source on occasions, so I give you Speedy Spares whom I have dealt with in the past, I have no other affiliation with them.

http://speedyspares.com/index.html

[vk6zgo]

Here's my list where I used to hang out in the 70's and 80's...

McGraths
All Electronic Components
Japanese Transistor Supplies
Stewart Electronics
United Trade Sales
Tasman Electronics (in Coburg - they were a hidden gem just off Sydney Road, run by a young Italian family)
Ellistronics (the best!)
Radio Parts Group (had everything back then)
Ham Radio Supplies
Altronics
Dick Smith (if I had to)
Rod Iriving (if I really had to)
Tandy Electronics (last resort)

A great list!  Curious about Altronics.  My understanding was that the '80s Altronics only had the Perth store (in Northbridge) but there were resellers interstate and in country areas.

Did the Melbourne CBD place brand itself Altronics and have most/all of their range?  (as opposed to the Tandy reseller model where a country appliance store would have a few hooks and shelves with Archer bits and Realistic amps)

From their catalogues and EA ads Rod Irving seemed to have a similar range to Altronics or Jaycar (with more PC stuff as the '90s wore on) but an eye opener has been the low opinion in which they were held (eg your post here and others' elsewhere).

Yeah,Altronics started out in Stirling Street diagonally opposite the Mail Exchange,as a "Dick Smith" reseller before DSE had their own shop in William Street.

The old shop is still there,selling sports equipment------or was,last time I was in that  area.
You never know in Perth--turn your back,& your life is demolished!!

The DSE shop,(which is something else now) was conveniently just around the corner from my old Telecom Aust workplace in Robinson Avenue,(which is now a hotel!}.
A more recent workplace is now a housing development-----go figure!

[SteveLy]

Cool videos (Parts 1 & 2) and the positive spin at the end of part 2 is good. Stores with walk-in get-what-you-need, let alone being able to talk to someone knowledgeable, ... stores with that level of service are dying. Jaycar Melbourne is all that's left. I hope the niche market is enough to make them stick around for the long haul without becoming a consumer electronics (no parts/components) store like DSE did.

Not an electronics store (though it became Jaycar later) but a TV repair shop in the group of the North-West corner shops (where there used to be a Dick Smith's as well) at the intersection of Princes Hwy and Springvale Rd was where I visited frequently in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

After I bought one $120 second-hand TV set there, the owner was happy to share tips on how to fix old TVs and I learnt a lot of electronics from him: fairly complicated stuff about colour signals. Actually I learnt most of that by studying the yellowed paper circuit diagrams tucked inside the back panel of old TVs, but the shop owner inspired me enough to have a go. I think he was Chinese, maybe Vietnamese, but as a young whipper-snapper I never had the courage to ask (and I was not all that curious about it anyway). I forgot his name too.

I fixed a few kerbside TVs using what I learnt and our financially stretched household had zero-cost colour TVs for many years as a result.

Online interaction is very different from walking into a store and finding someone genuinely willing to help you. Online info is great for getting the job done, but it lacks the warm fuzziness of face-to-face interaction.

[vk3yedotcom]

One no one has mentioned, and which I didn't cover because it was out in Richmond(?), was Kitsets Australia from c1972 to 1974. 

Seemed to be like a shooting star - emerged suddenly, opened several stores in different states, then disappeared.

I think they offered modern supermarket-style shopping but Dick Smith's expansion might have trumped them.

On one hand the 1974 tariff cut would have helped electronic retail but on the other hand the wages breakout that year would have made paying wages tough.

[EEVblog]

Nice work on the video.
Karl (State of Electronics) was looking for old photos of the York Street stores in Sydney (David Reids, Tricky Dicks, Jaycar, Tandy).
Would anyone have any old photos?

[vk6zgo]

There once was an Electronics shop at the top end of Hay St,in Perth.

Wasn't Willis Trading was it?  I used to drool over their ads (being pretty much the only WA place that advertised in the 10 year old EA magazines I lived on) and remember being disappointed when they moved to Vic Park then closed down before I had much money to buy stuff.  Some compensation came from Worldwide in George St which wasn't far away and open early in the mornings.

Reading about electronic shops in other countries there does appear to be some association between their location and those of 'red light' areas. And I'm not just talking Fyshwick, ACT. I suspect it is that they, like pawnbroker shops, are in the less salubrious, low rent quarters of town.

Not that I'm sufficiently well travelled to vouch for it myself, but it's certainly been written about: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/blog/gadgets-on-the-go/akihabara-a-beginners-guide-to-the-ultimate-geek-pilgrimage-20130923-2ua1r.html

Sorry for the long delayed answer,but yes,it was Willis Trading.

It used to be in Murray Street when the old bloke ran it,just around the corner from General Accessories (Genacs).
He had,apart from Electronics parts,quite a few secondhand Amateur Radio transmitters/transceivers---mostly Heathkit single band things.
After the young bloke took over,they moved to the Hay Street spot.

Do you remember "Genacs"(maybe before your time)---they were probably the first self service parts shop in Perth.
They had  two "lolly jars" of unmarked NPN & PNP silicon transistors near the checkout ( we called 'em "BC10?s").
You could get a handful for  a dollar.

Way before your time,were the Melbourne & Sydney Radio Shops & Surplus stores which used to advertise in the old "Radio & Hobbies" magazine.

As a kid,I used to love digging through my big brother's collection of  R&H mags & drooling at all the wonderful things that appeared.
 I wrecked the mags,too ---little turd!

They were mostly gone,or "gone legit"as suppliers of new stuff by the mid '60s.