Electronics surplus stores of yesteryear - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2021, 12:37:22 am
content: Just wanted to contribute some local recollections of long-gone electronics surplus dealers…From the late 1960s through the early ‘80s, I knew of three such stores in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. For a “paper” town, DC generated quite a bit of electronic surplus, due to government R&D facilities like NBS (now NIST), Naval Research Lab and NASA Goddard, military bases, and numerous contractors and manufacturers serving the aerospace and national-security markets.Sasco Electronics was an old storefront on King Street in Alexandria, across the Potomac from DC. Thanks to the construction of a Metro station, the area is now very upscale, with lots of trendy restaurants, boutiques and antique shops, but back then it was mostly utilitarian businesses like auto parts and office supplies. Sasco’s display windows and deep, narrow sales floor were crammed with all kinds of equipment and parts, all at very low prices. There was also a dungeon-like basement, with bare light bulbs on the ceiling and rows of crude wooden shelves piled high with every imaginable type of part, especially big transformers, inductors and capacitors, most of it top-quality stuff salvaged from military and commercial gear. The owner was usually seated behind the counter puffing on a pipe, while a kid at a bench in the back disassembled some piece of equipment for parts.Ritco Electronics was a similar operation, housed (as best I can recall) in one or more large sheds or garage-like buildings in the suburb of Annandale, VA. Perhaps due to their larger space, they seemed to have more big/heavy, complete pieces of equipment than Sasco did. My biggest purchase from Ritco was big, heavy Polarad microwave receiver.Electronic Equipment Bank in Vienna was the biggest of the three, and the one I’m most familiar with since I worked there, for owner Dick Robinson, occasionally and part-time from late 1975 through about 1977. Dick was an EE who had previously been in test equipment sales (for HP, I think). Unlike the other stores, whose customers were pretty much all hams and other hobbyists, EEB also did a substantial commercial business. This was in an era when a lot of quality vacuum-tube “boatanchor” test gear like Tek 500-series scopes and those big HP signal generators (606/608?) were still considered viable lab instruments and could bring real money.EEB was housed in a large space in a warehouse building with a loading dock, in an industrial area with neighbors like an HVAC contractor and building supply distributors. There was an office for Dick and a bookkeeper/admin lady, a showroom, a lab with two benches, a library/lunchroom with at least six four-drawer file cabinets stuffed with manuals, a calibration standards lab equipped with various salvaged items, and a vast storage area on two levels, divided into several rooms, with heavy steel shelving and equipment piled high everywhere.A lot of our stock came from the federal government (GSA) surplus auctions at the Washington Navy Yard, held in the cavernous former Naval Gun Factory. The equipment was usually sold in lots which seemed to be randomly assembled by someone unfamiliar with the merchandise; rumor had it that the security guard at the exit was there not to prevent theft, but to make sure that no winning bidder got away without taking *everything* he’d ended up buying!To get his often huge hauls back to the store, Dick would sometimes hire a young man of the hippie persuasion, who drove a Step-Van (a former Postal Service truck. I believe) painted in a Star Trek motif, complete with the Enterprise’s “NCC-1701” number, and with a carpeted bed for his German Shepherd on the passenger side.At some point Dick had acquired two enormous coaxial capacitors, balun transformer or something like that, probably from a high-powered military HF station. They were essentially brass cylinders, maybe 10-12 inches in diameter and 8-10 feet long. They’d been sitting in our warehouse forever, with no interested customers. But when our trucker saw them, he immediately knew what to do with them – they became the “engines” on the roof of his four-wheeled “starship”!Anyway, one of EEB’s specialties was 500-series Tek scopes. They were piled everywhere in the showroom and warehouse, along with every kind of plug-in. I worked on a lot of them, and was able to fix quite a few despite my minimal knowledge of electronics, thanks to the excellent manuals and assistance from some of Dick’s friends who had worked in field service for Tek or for the various instrument rental and calibration companies in the DC area.

author: fourfathom
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2021, 02:12:27 am
content: In the early 1960's I would go to J. J. Glass Surplus in Los Angeles. They had mostly military surplus, and I would pick up ARC-5 receivers so I could remove the dynamotor and re-wire the tube filaments. Plucking a few plates from the tuning capacitor let me receive in the 40-meter ham band. There was also a WW2 airplane radar (don't remember the model #) that a friend and I each got. We modified them to become AM transceivers and we talked to each other from our houses about a mile distant. I have no idea what the actual frequency was, we used VHF TV antennas and probably sent local aircraft down in flames, I also remember getting rolls of magnesium ribbon -- lots of fun to light with a match, or cut into little bits and put inside homemade fireworks.Years later I would hang out at HSC Electronics in Rohnert Park and Electronics Plus in San Rafael, both in northern California. These had more modern industrial surplus from the '60s and '70s.None of these places are around anymore.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2021, 03:25:42 am
content: Interesting stuff. My own experience was from Radio Row, in downtown Manhattan. Dozens of storefronts selling WW II surplus gear. I was a teenager back then in the middle 1940s and would spend hours window shopping. I had no money so couldn't buy anything.Later in Chicago I would shop at Allied and Newark on Jackson Blvd. Years later, in Los Angeles I enjoyed places like Valley Electronics Supply and Henry Radio.

author: Kerlin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 01:01:51 am
content: The locals here in Australia had a big thread about this. There were also radio rows here.Would be interested to follow information on your one on this thread.I was the same as a teenager in 1960s. I had no money and could only look and stare at that equipment.We are strictly locked down at home at the moment. So have I done quite some reading and am flowing the parallel universes thing, it seems most cosmologist believe they can be proven to exist. So I am hoping some where in one of those universes there was a me kid who bought heaps of gear and took it home and had great fun.I have also considered that not being able to get some of that surplus gear caused me greater curiosity and spurred the need get into Electronics and Radio.Need I say after a long career in that line, the rest is history.

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 01:23:59 am
content: Anyone else remember Mendelsons in Dayton, Ohio? I used to go there when I was about Sagan's age, from 1978-1982. It changed a lot since then, before going out of business last year. (maybe year before last)

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 05:54:45 am
content: https://www.qcwa.org/radio-row.htm

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 06:44:36 am
content: Great article, thanks!

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 03:51:35 pm
content: Quote from: bob91343 on September 22, 2021, 05:54:45 amWOW, Canal street and Cortlandt street! What an incredible place for a kid fascinated by electronics to poke around in!Jon

author: Sal Ammoniac
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 04:32:56 pm
content: Here in Silicon Valley we had several surplus stores.The biggest, and perhaps most well-known, was Halted Specialties (AKA HSC Electronics). This place looked like a warehouse inside and had a little bit of everything, both surplus and new. They downsized to a smaller location a few years ago, and after just a year or two at their new location they sold out to another company, which absorbed them into their operation, but it was not the same--the magic was gone.WeirdStuff Warehouse was another Silicon Valley icon that was around for decades until it closed in 2018. This place sold stuff like racks, servers, and network switches. Need a part for an old Sun Workstation? WeirdStuff was the place to go.Another was Mike Quinn Electronics, at the Oakland Airport. This place was a riot of assorted junk. They often sold surplus electronic stuff by the pound. Closed for good around 2006.

author: Johnny10
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 06:12:49 pm
content: Canal Street NYC in the 70's.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 11:04:24 pm
content: 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.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2021, 02:55:10 am
content: Al Lasher's ElectronicsAfter 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/

author: ocw
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2021, 03:49:56 am
content: While most of their parts did not rate as surplus, I liked Poly Paks.I can probably still dig up a few of those.

author: wn1fju
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2021, 11:09:11 am
content: 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.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2021, 05:37:22 pm
content: 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.

author: Neper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2021, 03:32:38 pm
content: Helmut Singer Elektronik in Aachen, Germany. Open by appointment only during the week but open for all on Saturdays. Closed a few years ago.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2021, 06:00:25 pm
content: The fun isn't over. At a swap meet on Saturday I picked up a military surplus impedance bridge. I think it's a ZM-11A/U and has been a ton of fun to play with. It's small and heavy and has many interesting functions. I spent the entire afternoon the next day playing with it.I don't think I'll keep it but am glad I got it.

author: PaulAm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2021, 08:19:01 pm
content: Swap meets are about the only game left in the US Midwest. Some universities have surplus outlets but they've started putting most of that stuff up for sealed bid or ebay auctions since Covid. Dayton's been cancelled for 2 years in a row now and the local swaps have been, shall we say, underwhelming. Maybe next year. There's not much to match the thrill of digging a Tektronix 1502 TDR out of a buck a pound surplus box and having it test out 100% functional when getting it home.I remember as a kid going to Detroit's Radio Row and seeing tables full of radio parts. That stuff was gone in the 70s.

author: BobbusVT
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 23, 2025, 11:45:25 pm
content: Hi Al!What a blast from the past! I worked with you (and for Dick Robinson) in the mid/late 1970s. My dad, a ham radio operator, was a good friend of Dick's and he asked him if he'd give me a job as stockboy (my first job) on the weekends. We were neighbors of the Robinsons, although, the wife was something of a mystery to me...never met her. I can't blame you for likely not remembering me since I (and my new-hire friend, Steve) were just kids and pretty much worthless. Ha. EEB was a blast....what a dump! Yeah, boat anchors, that's an understatement. I remember you (with long hair) taking your job seriously and you'd get frustrated with me and Steve for being clueless kids. In fact, we used to make bean bag chairs upstairs in the loft with all of the packing peanuts and boxes and take naps! You had good reason to be frustrated with us. I remember everything changed when Dick started dating Mary Ellen (at least I think that's what her name was). She was definitely attractive and me and Steve did what we could to get into the retail part of the store. Ooof, we were definitely "first job material". Anyway, I'm sorry to hear Dick got into some trouble, although, I recall my dad (now deceased) telling my mom about something (neighborhood gossip). I did a search on EEB and there was a surprisingly large amount of info. I struck gold when I read your post on this forum. When i read you worked there in the 70s, I figured I would probably know you...not a whole lot of employees. I hope you are well and life has treated you kindly! Thank you for the fun trip down memory lane in a most unusual circumstance! Bob

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 08:11:06 am
content: Electronics Surplus of yesteryear?1960s - 1970s: I was a frequent visitor to a company that salvaged ships in New Orleans. Hugh warehouse! Stacked to the ceiling with all kinds of electronic equipment that they stripped off the ships before they were cut up for scrap metal. I bought my second oscilloscope there, a Tektronix 432 if I recall correctly. Also some meters. It was a good thing I couldn't afford most of what they offered because I would have needed a bigger truck.1970s - 1980s: Then there was a place near or in Ft Lauderdale, FL. They sold parts and, again stacked into the isles with anything electronic you could think of. Again I can;t remember the name, if it even had one but I think it was owned by a guy named Abe. Great guy! A fellow worker introduced me to it as he had been buying there for some time and was known to them. As I browsed I would find something that I needed or wanted and the price was always negotiable. I never went with a check book and if I said I didn't have that much on me I had instant credit. All he knew about me was the friend I came in with. I always made sure that I paid what I owed on the next visit but often ran up another tab at that time. Great place! I still have stock that I bought there as I always purchased in quantity with their great prices.I am sure I visited others, but those two stand out. Oh, there is a place in or near San Jose, CA that I have visited on several of my trips there. Again they sell parts but not as stuffed as the older places. But good prices on new, surplus items. Again, my bad memory fails me for the name of the store.I presently live in Texas, near Houston but have not discovered any comparable places there. Perhaps I should look harder but it is a one to two hour drive which I only make to visit my daughter who lives in that area. Surely Houston must have something.

author: Andy Chee
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 08:17:24 am
content: Australia’s contribution to surplus electronicshttps://youtube.com/watch?v=X4ujYQcB1t0

author: mpmarquez
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 06:07:46 pm
content: I remember in the late 90s going to Skycraft in Orlando, FL. There also used to be a place in Melbourne, FL called Astro Too but I think they have closed.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 06:27:52 pm
content: Skycraft is still there (at least as an online vendor).

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 07:54:44 pm
content: My pick for the Ultimate Secondhand Computer/Technology Store:The late, great Weird Stuff in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area.My first encounter with them was when they were in a gigantic building at Moffett Field in Mountain View, the home of two ginormous blimp hangars left over from WWII.What a great place it was! Not just electronics, but "tech stuff" of every conceivable variety.My friend who took me there came home with a large stainless-steel piping assembly that came from an Atlas rocket or some such. I think he paid about $100 for what was probably ~$100,000 worth of machining and assembly.They moved a couple-few times since then; the last time I went there was when they were in, I think, Sunnyvale. Mostly electronics and computer stuff at that point.Then they went tits up.As I've remarked before, I find it astounding that in Silicon Valley, which is after all arguably the center of the universe (or once was) for the electronics and computer industries, there areno electronics stores of any kind whatsoever!. Well, maybe one or two: I think San Mateo Electronics is still in business, and perhaps a place up in Marin County, but that's it. (Happy to be proven mistaken here if anyone knows otherwise.)I find that totally incredible. A sign of the degraded world we live in, I suppose.Anyone else here remember the other long-gone places in the Bay Area? Hal-Tek in Mountain View? HalTed? Mike Quinn Electronics in Oakland? Oh, and my fondest favorite: Al Lasher's in Berkeley, best of them all ... And of course not forgetting Jameco in Belmont.

author: UnijunctionTransistor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 08:11:38 pm
content: Is it only me, or did you also find that surplus electronics stores had a peculiar smell? I cannot fathom how to even start describing it. It was quite unusual but I found it delicious!

author: andy2000
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 08:28:58 pm
content: Quote from: Analog Kid on April 25, 2025, 07:54:44 pmI used to go to their final location pretty much every week when I lived in the Bay area in about 2007. I could spend hours there, and not get bored. The last time I was there (about a year before they closed) it was still the same as ever. They even had most of the same stuff still on the shelves... I knew they couldn't last much longer is things were that stagnant.There's still Urban Ore in the East bay. They have a decent size electronics department that's worth a visit if you're in the area.

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 08:33:58 pm
content: Quote from: andy2000 on April 25, 2025, 08:28:58 pmYes, Urban Ore in Bezerkeley. I've spent hours and hours there. Maybe not quite as good as in the old days, but they do get quite the interesting selection of stuff.I like knowing that every single item there would otherwise be in a landfill somewhere.But: do you remember Berkeley Architectural Salvage (which was actually in Emeryville)? I was there for their final auction, when most of their stuff went unsold (some of it ended up in Urban Ore).Among other things (like hundreds of feet of original Victorian *redwood* trim!) was the staircase, disassembled, from the old SF main library before it became the Asian Arts Museum. Amazing stuff.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 09:24:03 pm
content: Lisle Street in Soho in the '60s - '70s (and before too). It was a small London backstreet but full with little electronics shops with ranks of wooden shelves and boxes spreading, traditional greengrocer shop fashion, across the pavements. Packed full of ex-Ministry / MOD surplus parts and assemblies. It was a young boy's wonderland to visit with his grandad. Very happy memories!Of course Soho is a gentrified and upmarket part of London these days. Those days are gone forever. :'(

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 09:38:15 pm
content: Anyone remember surplatronics in luton?

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 09:41:45 pm
content: When I first moved to Chicago in 1970, there were some surplus houses on the Near South Side (around Roosevelt Rd, if I remember correctly) that had, among other things, surplus assemblies from Heathkit in Benton Harbor, Mich.They are long gone.

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2025, 12:10:14 pm
content: The "Ax-man Surplus" stores in the twin cities area of Minnesota look amazing, I wish there was something similar near me.

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2025, 08:33:32 pm
content: Quote from: mikerj on April 26, 2025, 12:10:14 pmYes! I've been there! (Several years ago.)The St. Paul store is better than the smaller one out in the western 'burbs, but they're both amazing.The St. Paul store was massively damaged by a fire and looting during the George Floyd riots, after which I was afraid they were out of business, but apparently they've recovered from that.Lots of weird stuff.

author: Zenith
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 09:48:56 am
content: In the UK there were lots of military surplus, stores and shops selling electronic items with a lot of ex-military items, in the 50s after WWII. There was an interest in amateur radio and people were building their own TVs using some ex-radar units etc. In the 60s hobby electronics took off and amateur radio still had a strong following.From the 50s there were roads in some cities full of these shops. Edgeware Road and Tottenham Court Road in London. Alum Rock road in Birmingham. Most large towns had one or two. Times changed and by the 70s they started to disappear, or changed into dealing with modern components or hi-fi. There were a few hold outs into the 2000s, but I'm sure they are all gone now.Centre Electronics in Birmingham, which really was a time warp of a place. I think it closed about 2005.L.F. Hanney in Bath, which I recall closed about 2010. I went during their grand closing sale and made the mistake of thinking it would be easy to carry an RA17 50 yards to the car.J. Birkett in Lincoln, which closed quite late, in the last few years.It's probably a similar story in the USA, although it's a much bigger place, with a much bigger military, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few hold outs.

author: UnijunctionTransistor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 03:27:53 pm
content: I know it is anecdotal, but Tokyo’s Akihabara district was very much dwindled from the first time I went there in 1989, to my last trip in 2019.Nowadays is more gaming, Manga and Cosplay. I still managed to find a small shop inside a narrow alley that had interesting test equipment, but quite limited.

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 06:44:48 pm
content: I think what we're all looking for here is a mythical place like the tech market inBlade Runner.

author: BrianHG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 09:08:17 pm
content: Though, a shadow of its former self, the original store: Addison Electronique Montreal, from 20 years ago and prior were the local king. Everything from any ICs, transistors, resistors, motors and cheap switching PSP and great computer and blower fans, power chords, ribbon cables, I mean everything at incredible discount.However, nowadays, they sell commodity electronic junk and computer gadgets at their now multiple smaller stores. They had to adjust with the times and are still in business thanks to that, but no way will I find dirt cheap 250 watt resistors, gigantic computer grade caps or huge heat sinks, or even questionable unknown surplus devices there anymore.(Yup, they had 'that smell' too....)

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 09:56:22 pm
content: Quote from: Analog Kid on April 25, 2025, 07:54:44 pmAnchor Electronics is still open.https://anchor-electronics.com/

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2025, 10:00:52 pm
content: Quote from: edavid on April 27, 2025, 09:56:22 pmWow, good to know. Surprised I never heard of them.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2025, 01:47:25 am
content: Yes, I remember that. I don't know what it was, but there was a common smell even if it was a weak one in some of the places.Another smell I remember and loved was that of used book stores. I have traveled for many miles to visit them. They also are disappearing, probably victims of the internet as the electronic places are.Quote from: UnijunctionTransistor on April 25, 2025, 08:11:38 pm

author: beenai2018
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2025, 02:15:57 am
content: Quote from: Analog Kid on April 27, 2025, 10:00:52 pmPricing is not bad and run by friendly folks.I end up there when I need parts in small Quantity and cant wait for the mail.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2025, 05:16:42 am
content: Not Surplus, but supplies. I was mostly a Frys guy. But also Signal Electronics in Torrance. Both gone.Code:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd9I_QPJZlQ

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2025, 05:50:28 am
content: Quote from: beenai2018 on April 28, 2025, 02:15:57 amThat is probably a given for every shop still left standing. But even so online shopping is hard to beat.Here in Melbourne Aust, we still have Rockby Electronics but they haven't really had a surplus/clearance area since before the Covid pandemic and that was old fashioned fun to rummage around in. But if I can find it online then I prefer that to driving across town. And they have moved further away now. So I haven't been to them since they moved and I don't know if they set up a clearance/surplus area at their new digs.Trawling through the Arrow Electronics website pre-christmas during their sale was the nearest thing to old-school rummaging I've had recently.

author: EC8010
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 09:54:24 am
content: I used to trawl the Edgware Road and Tottenham Court Road. HL Smith on the Edgware Road would fold you an aluminium chassis to your specified dimensions. There was an ancient chap there who always wore a greatcoat and scarf even in summer. I later discovered Samson Electronics (sold transformers and inductors) and he was there as well, in a tiny little cellar in a backstreet off the Edgware Road after HL Smith had closed. In about 1990, I went to Samsons and it was clear that it was about to close down, so I loaded up both panniers of my pushbike with everything I thought might be useful. When I hooked both panniers on the bike, I had a great deal of trouble getting the front wheel onto the ground; the weight at the back was so great! I then cycled across central London to Waterloo station to catch the train home.

author: Xena E
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 10:39:48 pm
content: Quote from: Zenith on April 27, 2025, 09:48:56 amStill trades. Original proprietor, John, died a few years ago, but the place is now run by his daughter on limited opening hours.