Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
| From: Stewart C. Russell via talk | Losing Active Surplus a few years back was bad, but this one seems worse: | long-established electronic surplus/weird stuff/junk store Above All | Electronic Surplus (635 Bloor W, at Euclid) is closed. I blame me, and people like me. We stopped giving them enough business. I used to love Active. I'd go on regular fishing trips there. And the place around the corner on Beverley. Starting in the mid 1970s. We introduced our kids to the place in the late 1980s. Active had a connected store with surplus machine shop equipment. It used to be that electronic stuff was expensive. Repair was possible. It seemed worth gleaning old parts. But eventually, new electronics got inexpensive, complex, and hard to hack. Active got a new lease on life selling to OCAD folks. My daughter reminds me that there was a perennial bin labelled "red things". Lots of acrylic sheets. Second world haemostats and the like. Weird optical devices (military range-finders?). Pixelboards from the TTC. Now about the gorilla. I first saw it in Kitchener, at a somehow related surplus store. I don't know if there were two, or, if one, which store had it first. I can't quite remember, but I think that I bought my 64k RAM board for my Altair at the Kitchener store. It would only work if I installed it just so: I think that it was a clone of a mainstream board, and in cloning it, they had shrunk the board end-to-end by about the width of half a trace on the connector. It can think of a variety of reasons that active might have died: - fewer local manufacturers and hence less surplus - Queen St. real estate got quite valuable - owners got older I went to its last day on Queen and bought a few things that I still use. I have still have an orange price tag that I transplanted to my notebook. Above All was better in a number of ways. But none of them drew me. I visited a few times but bought almost nothing. I came out with a good serving of nostalgia. If I really need an oddball old part, there are lots of internet vendors. After I consider the excessive scrap I already have, kept "just in case". --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
OK, sorry, I must not have been very clear before, but this is exactly the sort of talk about retailers I was hoping to see around my August visit. So it goes. Hopefully some of it will still be relevant when next I'm able to make the trip. -- Joe On Sun, Dec 15, 2019 at 07:24:48PM -0500, Evan Leibovitch via talk wrote: > On the positive side of things... > > One of my personal favourite places for obscure gear, Sayal Electronics, is > not > only doing well but has been quietly expanding. > > Unknown to inner city types, the original opened next to Active's Mississauga > store. Frequently frustrated by Active's not having what I wanted, I'd go to > Sayal which always had what I needed and eventually became my first stop in > that plaza. > > That location is still doing well, obviously having outlasted Active. Their > main location and head office remains on Victoria Park north of Finch (very > close to where Electrosonic used to be) but they also have locations in > Markham and near Vaughan Mills. And they've also expanded to Barrie, Cambridge > and Burlington. Their stores tend to be very large, which might be the reason > they prefer industrial zones to city storefronts. > > Also: Canada Computers just did a move of its North York location, from a > strip > mall to Centrepoint Mall (Yonge & Steeles) where it occupies the ENTIRE space > formerly used by the Target store. It's immense and when I went there a few > weeks ago (though the "official" opening was yesterday) there was plenty of > unused area, they could easily fit all of their other Toronto locations into > this one spot. > > - Evan > > > On Sun, 15 Dec 2019 at 16:30, James Knott via talk wrote: > > I remember when there were a lot of stores that sold electronic and > computer stuff. Besides Active Surplus, there were several stores along > Queen, including Arkon, first near Church and later towards Spadina. > There were also several stores on College around Spadina/Bathhurst. > Then there was Active Electronics, on Lombard St. and when needed I > could hop the subway up to Electrosonic at 555 Yonge St., before they > moved to Gordon Baker Rd. IIRC, there were a couple of other stores in > the same vicinity. There was also City Surplus, on Dixie Rd. north of > the 401, which had a lot of electronic gear. Of course, back in those > days, there were a lot of shops that catered to the TV repair business, > such as Atwater Electronics, not far from Heathkit, in Mississauga. > Going way back, I remember Radio Essentials and Pat's Electronics, in > Oakville. The Oakville Amateur Radio club used to meet in Pat's basement. > > > > On 2019-12-15 02:59 PM, Karen Lewellen via talk wrote: > > Oh I am crushed. > > Steve had, and understood some of the most creative things about > > connecting electronics. > > I have cables in my home and production studio that I simply could not > > find in town anywhere, especially after Radio shack went away. > > Above all was a computer maintenance dream as well. > > *sniff!* > > Kare > > > > > > > > On Sat, 14 Dec 2019, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote: > > > >> Losing Active Surplus a few years back was bad, but this one seems > >> worse: long-established electronic surplus/weird stuff/junk store > >> Above All Electronic Surplus (635 Bloor W, at Euclid) is closed. I > >> went by today and the windows were papered over and a For Lease sign > >> was on the front. Steve, the owner, was inside tidying up, but the > >> door was locked. Above All was where I went for the off-the-wall > >> retro stuff I knew no-one else would carry. Appletalk cables? Bulk PC > >> reset buttons (some still marked Turbo XT)? SCSI interfaces? Mac > >> Classic RAM? These are all things I found at Above All. > >> > >> > >> Above All has moved before. Let's hope this is the case again. > >> > >> > >> cheers, > >> > >> Stewart > >> > >> > >> > > > > > > --- > > Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org > > Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/ > talk > > --- > Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org > Unsubscribe from this mailing list > https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk > > > > -- > Evan Leibovitch, Toronto Canada > @evanleibovitch or @el56 > --- > Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org > Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk -- -- Joe On ceding power to tech companies: http://xkcd.com/1118/ man screen | grep -A2 weird A weird imagination is most useful to gain full advantage of all the features. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
On the positive side of things... One of my personal favourite places for obscure gear, Sayal Electronics, is not only doing well but has been quietly expanding. Unknown to inner city types, the original opened next to Active's Mississauga store. Frequently frustrated by Active's not having what I wanted, I'd go to Sayal which always had what I needed and eventually became my first stop in that plaza. That location is still doing well, obviously having outlasted Active. Their main location and head office remains on Victoria Park north of Finch (very close to where Electrosonic used to be) but they also have locations in Markham and near Vaughan Mills. And they've also expanded to Barrie, Cambridge and Burlington. Their stores tend to be very large, which might be the reason they prefer industrial zones to city storefronts. Also: Canada Computers just did a move of its North York location, from a strip mall to Centrepoint Mall (Yonge & Steeles) where it occupies the ENTIRE space formerly used by the Target store. It's immense and when I went there a few weeks ago (though the "official" opening was yesterday) there was plenty of unused area, they could easily fit all of their other Toronto locations into this one spot. - Evan On Sun, 15 Dec 2019 at 16:30, James Knott via talk wrote: > I remember when there were a lot of stores that sold electronic and > computer stuff. Besides Active Surplus, there were several stores along > Queen, including Arkon, first near Church and later towards Spadina. > There were also several stores on College around Spadina/Bathhurst. > Then there was Active Electronics, on Lombard St. and when needed I > could hop the subway up to Electrosonic at 555 Yonge St., before they > moved to Gordon Baker Rd. IIRC, there were a couple of other stores in > the same vicinity. There was also City Surplus, on Dixie Rd. north of > the 401, which had a lot of electronic gear. Of course, back in those > days, there were a lot of shops that catered to the TV repair business, > such as Atwater Electronics, not far from Heathkit, in Mississauga. > Going way back, I remember Radio Essentials and Pat's Electronics, in > Oakville. The Oakville Amateur Radio club used to meet in Pat's basement. > > > > On 2019-12-15 02:59 PM, Karen Lewellen via talk wrote: > > Oh I am crushed. > > Steve had, and understood some of the most creative things about > > connecting electronics. > > I have cables in my home and production studio that I simply could not > > find in town anywhere, especially after Radio shack went away. > > Above all was a computer maintenance dream as well. > > *sniff!* > > Kare > > > > > > > > On Sat, 14 Dec 2019, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote: > > > >> Losing Active Surplus a few years back was bad, but this one seems > >> worse: long-established electronic surplus/weird stuff/junk store > >> Above All Electronic Surplus (635 Bloor W, at Euclid) is closed. I > >> went by today and the windows were papered over and a For Lease sign > >> was on the front. Steve, the owner, was inside tidying up, but the > >> door was locked. Above All was where I went for the off-the-wall > >> retro stuff I knew no-one else would carry. Appletalk cables? Bulk PC > >> reset buttons (some still marked Turbo XT)? SCSI interfaces? Mac > >> Classic RAM? These are all things I found at Above All. > >> > >> > >> Above All has moved before. Let's hope this is the case again. > >> > >> > >> cheers, > >> > >> Stewart > >> > >> > >> > > > > > > --- > > Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org > > Unsubscribe from this mailing list > https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk > > --- > Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org > Unsubscribe from this mailing list > https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk > -- Evan Leibovitch, Toronto Canada @evanleibovitch or @el56 --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
I remember when there were a lot of stores that sold electronic and computer stuff. Besides Active Surplus, there were several stores along Queen, including Arkon, first near Church and later towards Spadina. There were also several stores on College around Spadina/Bathhurst. Then there was Active Electronics, on Lombard St. and when needed I could hop the subway up to Electrosonic at 555 Yonge St., before they moved to Gordon Baker Rd. IIRC, there were a couple of other stores in the same vicinity. There was also City Surplus, on Dixie Rd. north of the 401, which had a lot of electronic gear. Of course, back in those days, there were a lot of shops that catered to the TV repair business, such as Atwater Electronics, not far from Heathkit, in Mississauga. Going way back, I remember Radio Essentials and Pat's Electronics, in Oakville. The Oakville Amateur Radio club used to meet in Pat's basement. On 2019-12-15 02:59 PM, Karen Lewellen via talk wrote: Oh I am crushed. Steve had, and understood some of the most creative things about connecting electronics. I have cables in my home and production studio that I simply could not find in town anywhere, especially after Radio shack went away. Above all was a computer maintenance dream as well. *sniff!* Kare On Sat, 14 Dec 2019, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote: Losing Active Surplus a few years back was bad, but this one seems worse: long-established electronic surplus/weird stuff/junk store Above All Electronic Surplus (635 Bloor W, at Euclid) is closed. I went by today and the windows were papered over and a For Lease sign was on the front. Steve, the owner, was inside tidying up, but the door was locked. Above All was where I went for the off-the-wall retro stuff I knew no-one else would carry. Appletalk cables? Bulk PC reset buttons (some still marked Turbo XT)? SCSI interfaces? Mac Classic RAM? These are all things I found at Above All. Above All has moved before. Let's hope this is the case again. cheers, Stewart --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
Oh I am crushed. Steve had, and understood some of the most creative things about connecting electronics. I have cables in my home and production studio that I simply could not find in town anywhere, especially after Radio shack went away. Above all was a computer maintenance dream as well. *sniff!* Kare On Sat, 14 Dec 2019, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote: Losing Active Surplus a few years back was bad, but this one seems worse: long-established electronic surplus/weird stuff/junk store Above All Electronic Surplus (635 Bloor W, at Euclid) is closed. I went by today and the windows were papered over and a For Lease sign was on the front. Steve, the owner, was inside tidying up, but the door was locked. Above All was where I went for the off-the-wall retro stuff I knew no-one else would carry. Appletalk cables? Bulk PC reset buttons (some still marked Turbo XT)? SCSI interfaces? Mac Classic RAM? These are all things I found at Above All. Above All has moved before. Let's hope this is the case again. cheers, ??Stewart --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
On Sun, 15 Dec 2019 19:47:36 +0200 ac via talk wrote: > > There is a place on North Queen, near Sherway Gardens that has a lot > > of the Active Surplus stock. I can't think of the name, as I've only > > been there once. A1 Electronic Parts http://www.a1parts.com Let's hope they are doing okay. I bought my Arduino kit there. -- Howard Gibson hgib...@eol.ca jhowardgib...@gmail.com http://home.eol.ca/~hgibson --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
On Sun, 15 Dec 2019 06:36:15 -0500 James Knott via talk wrote: > On 2019-12-14 11:27 PM, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote: > > (some still marked Turbo XT) > Those will come in handy. ;-) > *sigh* I fondly remember having to use an actual little black jumper (on the mb) to set Turbo... If only I had one of those handy little switches... > There is a place on North Queen, near Sherway Gardens that has a lot > of the Active Surplus stock. I can't think of the name, as I've only > been there once. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
> There is a place on North Queen, near Sherway Gardens that has a lot of > the Active Surplus stock. I can't think of the name, as I've only been > there once. A1 Electronics, perhaps? http://a1parts.com/ --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
Re: [GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus
On 2019-12-14 11:27 PM, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote: (some still marked Turbo XT) Those will come in handy. ;-) There is a place on North Queen, near Sherway Gardens that has a lot of the Active Surplus stock. I can't think of the name, as I've only been there once. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
