The last electronics store in the United States
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
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Apex Surplus, located in Los Angeles County, is a legendary electronics store visited by hobbyists, engineers, and Hollywood prop makers for decades. With the transition to online shopping, we won't see anything like this again, so I think it's a treasure.
Its iconic Hollywood creations include the DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future movie, built entirely from Apex parts.
Stepping into Apex IS like going back in time. It’s filled floor-to-ceiling with vintage electronics, military surplus, and hard-to-find parts.
The owners helped me find a longtime customer who comes here to restore vintage electronics.
So lets meet Rick. He is going to share his projects and give us a tour of what Apex has to offer including some surprising finds.
We had a place in Indianapolis called Graham electronics. It was a great place to hang out and was populated with old timer hams. I used to buy parts and tools there as a kid, as money allowed. Once I needed a large electrolytic filter cap so I went up to the counter and told the guy what I wanted. I could hear him walking up the creaky steps to the 2nd floor, then across a ways. Suddenly loud cursing ensued and I heard stuff falling on the floor. He came back down looking disheveled and muttering about the SOB who put a charged capacitor on the shelf. 😂
I love hearing all these stories. Thanks for taking the time to share that.
I used to work with AC/DC power supplies as used in mini computers. We were trained to short out the terminals of "can" capacitors to dissipate the stored power. Usually through a large resistor called a "bone" to stop from damaging the cap with too fast a power discharge. Otherwise worlers were told to wait a few minutes for the caps to discharge fully.
We did that in H.S. electronics class charge capacitors using the tester. Leave them on one of the work benches.
😅🤣😅...I hate when that happens...!!!
I knew it at the cursing! Lol
Honestly: I am mad that places like this are gone, and I'm young enough to have grown up with the internet, but old enough to have had a chance to see places like this. The internet is great IF you are looking for something specific that you already know inside and out. Places like this allow you to find lateral solutions to problems & pick the brains of the people in the store. Some auto wreckers still have a similar vibe, but that's becoming less common too as cars become bricked due to chips failing that are impossible to replace on boards that aren't manufactured for more than a few years. In Vancouver BC thankfully there is still Lee's, but they have trended towards new stock over recent years(looking more like an old radioshack ironically).
same here
Little yards not being able to lobby on the same level as places like pick n pull is what gets them most of the time. As cities expand around a junkyard that used to be in the country, the zoning is always an issue
Yep
Could legit do with a good place for parts rn as I need to get a rp-sma to sma connecter and it seems it's only online lmao
I got to see this one near my house only 2-3 times. Last went there in 2003-4 for an 8th grade science project lol. Closed down not long after that. And I'm not counting RadioShacks, went in those plenty
Glad that Lee's is still around! I used to go to Main St. Electronics until they closed down a few years ago :(
I can practically smell it. Oh the memories from the 60's when there were places like this all over, many filled with surplus WWII hardware.
Post World War II New York City had Radio Row in Manhattan, several blocks of electronic stores carrying both war surplus and newer current production stuff. All of it was demolished In the 1960s to build the World Trade Center, and all of the shopkeepers and owners were forced to move to a less viable location or driven out of business. Some of them quite literally died from the stress of it all. Antique Radio Classifieds magazine did a 2 part article about it, some years ago.
You Literally can, It's got that unmistakably slightly musty vintage warehouse aroma we pickers love and cherish.
Yup, early seventies, Henry radio, and the store down in Ontario near the corner of Euclid and this other street I disrecall.
Looked it up. I think it was “Holt” street.
Once WWIII pops off, there will be plenty for the survivors to pick through.
I do love the smell!
St Louis has now lost all it's electronic surplus stores, with the last and best, Gateway Electronics, closing a couple years ago after losing their lease twice in two years. The first time they found a new home in a struggling mall and went through the agony of moving, thinking they could stay put for a while, but a year later the new landlord decided to close the whole mall and they gave up. A very sad day for the St Louis region's electronic hobbyists. It felt like a death in the family.
That was a mainstay store for me for the longest time. They're locations were always a bit on the far side, so I usually planned my trips carefully. But eventually it was easier to bulk purchase off of Amazon and my trips to Gateway dwindeled over time. The other cool place that's still exists is Laclede Computer Trading Co. Much smaller than it used to be, but they still have PC parts from 80s, 90's, etc.
I also loved going to Gateway Electronics. It was a great place for parts and "stuff". Of course my favorite part was the surplus section in the back!
I was a customer of Gateway Electronics from about 1972 onward. That was about three years before I got my driver's license! In my early 20s I was often there on Saturdays, spending hours wandering the aisles, talking with other customers about what they were looking for and what they were trying to fix or build, offering suggestions and even helping show them where to find the things they needed. One day one of the owners must have noticed this, walked up to me and said "We're opening a location in San Diego," (as I recall), "Would you be interested in managing it?". I was tempted, but at my age at the time I didn't feel I could do the job properly. To this day I wonder about that offer; I was flattered to say the least, and am happy how my life turned out. But it just shows the kind of people who started Gateway. I miss going there, talking with Lisa and Doug, it was a great place.
I had been going to gateway electronics in st.louis since I was a kid the people who worked there prolly more than 30 years that I was aware of , not sure whatever happened to them , they had the best parts for vintage radio repairs . And massive selection of tubes . Miss ol lurch as I called him and his sis . Hope they landed on there feet
Saw the title, made me sad thinking about losing Gateway, looks like I’m in good company. If the folks from Gateway stumble into this, you are missed, and you were appreciated.
As a 10 year old I never would have left that place 😅
Wish we had something similar in the UK - sadly bureaucracy and a throwaway society means most stuff like this in treated like junk and binned 😢
I was gutted when maplins closed. Used to love that place. You could physically see what you were buying.
@@CiderPang27 haha, yes first Tandy and then a mate introduced me to Maplins in my teens - I used to spend Saturdays just browsing the aisles 😁 - then ironically I got a Saturday job there in my last year of school - being paid £2.25/hour that put a dampener on things - the 25% staff discount was a bonus though 🤣
In the 70's when I was a kid in nyc supermarkets would have a vacuum tube replacement display. You would bring in your old tube,fit it into a specific outlet,test it and in a drawer you could buy a new one and replace it your tv. Things then were designed to be fixed.
When my Grandfather passed about 50 years ago, there's two of his "relics" I kept as remembrances; his Simpson 260 and his ham morse key. I used to get lost in his attic amongst his ham stations and piles of old popular science and mechanics magazines for the better part of my childhood. I'm 71 now and retired after a successful computer hardware and software career mainly inspired by him. To this day I miss him. This video brought back that feeling of discovery I experienced so much growing up.
Thanks for sharing that story. As someone who was inspired by a grade-school mentor who helped us build a Heathkit Ham radio, I know exactly how you feel.
Houston still has at least two electronics stores. Ace Electronics, and Electronics Parts Outlet. EPO even sells 'dead' vacuum tubes for people wanting them for art projects, to keep them from destroying functional tubes.
Stocking dead tubes for artists is a great idea
@Troy Belding thanks for sharing Electronic Parts outlet.
How is that possible? The annoying BS Clickbait headline assures us that Apex is the last electronic store. So there can’t possibly be two in Houston.
@@StevenBradford It sounds like Apex is more of a surplus superstore. EPO is in a strip center, and is only, maybe 2500 square feet. They pack a LOT into it, including a train you can push a button to start running around the store above head height.
EPO is great, highly recommend checking it out, though their prices can be a bit high
What I miss about shops like these is just wandering the aisles looking for nothing, seeing something, and saying, "I could use that for..."
This guy is in his own world, and I wish every day I could be as happy as him.
Gorgeous, looking at all that stock, it brings back memories of when I first started repairing tvs in 1978, the local parts store with everything you needed....never thought we'd be in a throwaway world.....what a shame..!
The fact that there could be, almost as easily, a culture of repair and preservation, makes me sad.
Skycraft Surplus Parts in Orlando FL compares very well. I always drop in when in the area.
the inside looks very similar as well. I have not been to the new location yet. NASA sometimes uses Skycraft parts for prototypes according to a NASA engineer I met there about 20 years ago.
Just checked them out, I love the alien ship and rocket at the entrance. It reminds me of the Fry’s Electronics entrance in Burbank, CA. RIP.
@@PeteMeets I miss the glory days of Fry's in Burbank! I guess I should be used to bad management screwing up a good thing, I was a factory service center tech for Commadore Amiga in North Hollywood!
The new store doesn't have the smell of the old store.
I've been to that very Apex location several times over the years. Interestingly, they always prohibited me from taking any pictures or video. So, I'm impressed that you were able to shoot this excellent reality-documentary-style video inside the store...congrats, and well done!!!
Thanks, I worked with the owner for months to make this happen. First, I had to build trust. Then she helped me find a customer who I thought was interesting and could do the place the justice it deserved.
@@PeteMeets Nicely done...I admire that kind of dedication...keep up the great videos!
Next time in LA my family can go to Disney.... I will go here
Wish I could have gone to this Jërnt a couple of years ago, when I was down in that area!
You'd think they'd be happy to have the advertising. Crazy. But then again, those properties that make shops like this cool are also what causes them to eventually fail.. Eccentric owners and practices
That place reminds me of Mendlesons in Dayton Ohio. Sadly closed in 2021. It was in a old multi story automotive plant. When i lived their i used to love going there and look at everything. Had a freight elevator with someone running it. Cool place.
Holy cow. I would go nuts in that place. The benefit of seeing all this in one location is priceless. I loved going through military surplus stores when they used to be everywhere. Giant idea generators.
There was a place like this for ham radio equipment in Boulder City, Nevada for 40+ years. Greatest finds there, and the prices were right. The shop was the love of the owners life and he treated every customer like gold. It was a sad day when I drove up to Boulder and saw it closed and boarded up. Not sure if he retired or passed. Always wonder what happened to all his great merchandise.
I believe you're referring to 'Radio World', which was run by Dave Floyd W9MPD. I met him when I was young and he was still in Collinsville, IL. Later I worked as a tech for his first wife at the shop in Collinsville after they had split up. He kept in touch with many old friends back here and I was honored to be invited to a get-together when he was in town. Dave was indeed a wonderful guy, very encouraging and helpful, which along with his vast experience and skill made his business a real treasure for the community.
There is a good obituary about him on QRZ. He died unexpectedly and suddenly in 2015.
@@bradandrews7823
Thanks for letting me know.
@@bradandrews7823 I worked repairing radios for Dave in the 80s. One day a week on my days off at Dist.13 Illinois State Police, on the dogs that the full time guys were unsuccessful with. He was a wonderful, highly intelligent gentleman and one of the finest Men I have ever known. He also wrote procedure manuals for project Gemini for NASA.
Wow, I lived in BC, Nv in 1994 and there were some interesting businesses there. Like the inventor and manufacturer of the Space Pen. i didn't even scratch the surface of BC in a year. Never knew about the electronics place.
@@bradandrews7823 Dave was with a friend buying some electronic stuff when he had a medical episode and passed shortly thereafter.He was a regular at the local radio swap meet with his big white van.
Reminds me of our old high school electronics department. We had lots of equipment going back to the 40's and 50's as well as a smattering of more modern equipment. Including a pile of WW2 era surplus equipment. When the instructor retired the school shut down the electronics classes and that all went in the garbage. I've got a couple old Heathkit vtvm's and an military oscilloscope from the 40's I pulled out of the garbage. But most everything was already gone. I'd give a fortune to be able to take a trip back in time and see that instructor and the old electronics lab again.
That’s a great story. I feel the same way about my grade school science teacher who worked with us to build build a Ham radio in class. I’ll never forget the wiring harness that ran through it. At the time
It seemed impossibly complicated to route and solder.
I have a black and white photo of the class working on it above my bench.
@@PeteMeets Wish I had a photo of the old high school shop. I've got a photo of the instructor in a yearbook, but that's it. He was quite the fellow, worked in a standards lab during and after WW2 before somehow ending up teaching high school shop & electronics. He worked with millionth's of an inch like we would an eight of an inch. He did watch repair as a hobby because "it's relaxing as you don't have to be very precise". But we have the memories, more precious than gold :)
Watchmaking to relax because the tolerances were lower!? Science teachers always seem to have interesting backgrounds. The guy I mentioned was also an Alaskan bush pilot. I need to track him down next time I go back east.
@@PeteMeets Track him down while there's still time. I became good friends with that instructor during and after high school. I sure do miss him and his wife. They were both so kind. And it was always interesting to see what he was working on. One time it was a woman's wrist watch. The balance staff (if I remember the numbers correctly) was worn down 7 / 10,000 of an inch, so he sweat soldered a sleeve over it and then machined the sleeved shaft down to size. This is on a part so small you could barely even see it.
I remember electric shop in Lane Tech High School in the 1970s. What great years!
Very interesting video. While I'm not a huge techie, the 62-year old ham radio operator in me tells me THIS would be a fabulous pilgrimage to the past . Thanks for sharing, Pete!
AE7HF here
You’re welcome, it took months of planning to make this happen but it was a blast getting to know all the Apex employees and customers along the way.
Nice to see someone with a passion talk about a unique store.
My dad and I went to Apex in the 1980s but he had been going there since he moved to the Valley in the 70s. He was an inventor and he always needed things that weren't easy to find. I've still got a WW2 Signal Corps radio receiver BC-312-J that looks like it's been through a couple of campaigns in the South Pacific. Mostly I collect old mechanical devices and militaria but I do like the look of old electronics. Bakelite is the bomb. It's 80 years old and still good. I'm glad to see that Apex is still there.
What a great memory. I know that if I started buying things there for a personal collection, I would not be able to stop.
Love Apex! It's a national treasure and for the right kind of person a far more interesting attraction to visit when in Los Angeles than any theme park, beach, or trendy restaurant. Learned quickly that if I saw something I wanted there, to buy it immediately. Because the next time it would be gone, or moved somewhere else - either way you'd never find it again. So while there might still be a bunch of variacs on the shelf, they will not be the same ones. I remember one day there was a huge pile of 1950s-60s Kliegl Brothers lighting stuff in a pile out in the yard, all from the old Tonight Show studio. I came back the next day to see about buying a piece or two, and it was all gone.
I love the Tonight Show story. I saw a stack roadie cases from a concert tour that were gone on my next visit. You gotta act fast!
I spent my youth in stores like this about 50 years ago. There were 3 or 4 stores in the Sacramento area and we loved a trip to the city. Such great memories!
RIP Metro 😢
Did you ever make it down to the Bay Area surplus places? I grew up around Weird Stuff Warehouse, Halted, Action Surplus, and a bunch of other places. One of my favorites was out in Milpitas, but I can't remember the name of it ( think it was called Surplus Stuff).
I used to sell stuff to Chuck and Jim Schuetz (of Weird Stuff). They are great people, and loved to talk about all the crazy things you'd find all over Silicon Valley when it was more about hardware and less about software and UA-camrs.
Last I heard, Jim Schuetz (brother of the founder of Weird Stuff, and their former chief buyer) works as a buyer for Outback Equipment, the company that bought all of Weird Stuff's remaining inventory when Google decided to demolish Weird Stuff's building to build a bigger campus.
I remember strolling through Apex as a teen in the early 70's being amazed at what was on display. I think I'll go back to visit. I bet it still smells the same as it did 50 years ago.
Nerd heaven. I dont know much about electronics,but I know electronics nerds would go crazy over this.
I'm a babyboomer so growing up there were local electronics surplus stores all over. We had one within bicycle distance from the house I grew up in.
Same, there were even WW2 big zinc carbon batteries that were dry, just waiting for the water to be added. I bought 4 of them and they supplied my teenage experiments with 6 volts for years. Nothing beats gear made for wartime military.
for anyone in MA there's a store called ydi electronics in Needham. no high end test equipment but they have plenty of components, kits, and general electronics like TVs and cameras. it's a lot like radio shack used to be.
You-Do-It is my jam.
There's also Electronics Plus in Littleton MA, its like a preserved 1980s RadioShack in all it's glory
When I was a kid in the 80’s we called it You-Blew-It Electronics…
@@RailBuffRob I lived in the next town (Boxborough) for 35 years and was a tech person at several community theaters around the area. Electronics Plus was my go-to place whenever I was building some special effects gadget for the theater. Occasionally I'd head down to You-Do-It as well.
@@jamiebraman2299 Same.
This reminded me when I was a kid and used to build Knight Kits and Heathkit radios. Allied and Lafayette catalogs were our dream books. Ohio Valley Sound and Castrup Electronics were our go to stores.
I have fond memories of building a Heathkit Ham radio.
I was about to comment on Mendelsons, a similar surplus electronics outlet in Dayton, Ohio. I Googled it so I could provide a link and found that is about to become 140 apartments, office and retail space. So sad.
Noooooooooo 😢
This store is precious, unique items, must be protected.
I joined the Navy in the mid 80's. My rate was Electricians Mate. I learned on a Simpson 260. Very cool and very old school. I don't remember the series numbers. In 1986 even Simpsons meters were on their way out.
Nearly 50 years ago, I had a project in an electronics magazine that I wanted to build. My dad took me to Apex to buy components (when I probably could have bought them at Radio Shack). That place was a wonderland. It smelled of WWII-era electronics - because that was what was there at the time, mostly. Even though that project never did end up working - it was pretty complicated for a ten-year-old - visiting Apex was a memorable experience for me. It makes me happy to know it's still there. Thanks for posting this!
Ahh, but what is more satisfying than taking the cover off and getting a good heady whiff of that ole electronics smell?
I'm amazed these kind of places aren't kept open by the government. It's highly advantageous in a time of need to have kids that know how to build things. Let things like this close and the boys in Shenzhen win
That's what the government wants ANYWAYS!!! It's been going on a good 40 years now!!!
That is the plan , outsource what you can to China. Create a problem and then a solution.
The government isn't interested in educating youth on how to build and repair things.
If you can do things on your own, your dependence on government services is reduced, limiting their power over their subjects
The more money they spend keeping places like this open, the less money they have to providing homeless people with drug needles.
Kids don’t go to stores, sadly. To be honest most of us don’t go as well…
Love it! At 8:00 they show a very old meter. Weston Electric Company was in Newark NJ and there is a Weston Hall at NJIT (also in Newark). Edward Weston was The Man, back in the day.
"The last electronics store in the United States"
Hold on, not so fast! We still have a very similar electronics store here in Houston, Electronics Parts Outlet! It might not have nearly as many items that have been used as props in movies (and not as much aerospace stuff (as far as I'm aware, but I've hardly seen everything in there), but it's still a treasure trove and worth a visit!
It's almost a blessing that this is on the other side of the country from me. As much as I'd love to walk around this place, I'm afraid I'd leave without any money left.
Wow I could spend all day in there.
All the best from a UK watcher
You mean the last electronics store you know about, we have one that is doing just fine in Houston, Electronic Parts Outlet.
I’m really happy to hear that! 😅
@@PeteMeets EPO is incredible!! I wish we had someplace like this in Pennsylvania. We used to have Edmund's scientific in New Jersey but I believe they stopped having such cool stuff.
Thats the beauty of walking the aisles of an electronics store. You didn't know you needed something until you saw it on the shelf or in a bin.... or something you saw inspired a project!
Man, it's been 20 years since I was there at Apex. My goto electronics, electrical and mechanical store for as long as I can remember. Mr. Slater lived down the street from me (He's the owner in the 90's (going back at least 20-40 years), not sure who it is now) and my best friend Eric worked there. I really miss that place. I thought I'd never say it, but it sure looks a lot neater then when I was there. Not to mention the missing to a large extent 20-foot-tall piles of cardboard boxes (with obvious avalanches). At the time you took your life into your hands trying to find the part (which always seemed to be that box in the middle). Thank you showing that's it's still there and that a miracle occurred in that someone cleaned it up a bit!
Thanks for sharing those memories. You will be happy to know that the 2nd and 3rd generations are enthusiastically running the business!
Remember 1001 something (I can’t remember the rest of the name) on Foothill Blvd in Tujunga?
@@clarkinthedark1 No, can't think of anything off hand. I've been gone for 20 years now...
Started going to Apex about 1967 when I first got my ham license. I'll bet some of those cardboard boxes on the shelf are the same ones I saw back then. The guy I worked for in high school always went there when he needed something unusual for a customer project.
I got a chance to visit Apex over ten years ago now. Still remember it well, and fondly.
I've visited a few similar places around the country - Ohio seems to have several good ones. And in the 60s-80s in Orlando, FL, I spent hours every couple of weeks wandering around Skycraft Parts & Surplus - a true Mecca when the Apollo program was still going strong, and the Naval Training Center was located nearby. Apex, though, was one of the best overall experiences.
Skycraft is still open and going strong. They just recently moved to a larger store.
@@jimirayo I know. I drove down there just to check it out last year :-)
I'll miss the old place though. It was only a few miles from where I lived in Winter Park for years. Do you know if they found a home for the UFO?
My friends and I would go to Apex in the 70's to find panel aviation lights and cool stuff for our musclecars. It was a great place to kill an hour and I'm glad it's still there. The smell when you walk in the door is unlike any other place and you LIKE it.
Oh I would LOVE to have such a business near me!!! I'd be in there several times a week. I'd be happy enough if there was even a MicroCenter near me!!! Those living near electronic surplus stores are SO blessed!
One of my favorite places to shop since 1971---yes 52 years! Back then it was sparse and full of military surplus. I still remember Mr. Bill Slater's voice well! RIP Bill.
Wow! Talk about a long time customer. What do you like to buy there?
I loved electronic equipment since i was young and man would i love to be able to go to a place like this. Thanks for posting this video.
In Dallas we lost tanner electronics about 3 years ago. The death of the real surplus store is an incredible tragedy.
When in high school I was a wide eyed customer of Carson Electronics on Carson street in Hawaiian Gardens calif.
I was salvaging some old resisters and caps and sorting them for days. My dad asked me what I was doing. He asked why. I showed him an Electronics mag article that I was gathering parts for. He said get the article and let’s go. He toke me to Carson Electronics, handed the clerk the article and said my son needs everything in the parts list. For the early 1971, 40-50 bucks was a lot.
What a great dad!
Long ago, there was a west coast Canadian store called Satellite Electronics Surplus in Vancouver on around 30th and Main. I was first introduced to this place in my early teens in the late 70's, what a honey pot of old military surplus electronics and stuff that was just impossible to find elsewhere. Like where could you find a 1kw Klystron tube for 20 bucks? They also supplied obscure movie props to the local film industry.. you could go into this packed shop and sometimes it was like they sold everything off the shelves and then a few weeks later it was all back. Lots of the HAM radio community hung out there as well, sometimes you could see the same guys a few years later chatting it up. The older electronics guys were a great wealth of information (before the internet) and guidance to young enthusiasts like myself at the time. I thank all you old guys who offered many hours of information and practical help.. it made me a better tech. I can't remember the cranky old guys name who ran the place, but thanks for hanging on for so many years!
When I lived in Southern California my buddies and I used to make the pilgrimage to Apex on occasion for parts. Always a fun time. It is far cleaner and organized than the last time I visited over 12 years ago. I suspect that some of the charm of the place was lost in the cleaning. Nothing like digging thru the odd box and finding that item you didn't know you even needed but had to now have. I really miss the odd trip there. Some prices there are out right robbery, others a steal. Sadly, another icon of the salvage industry of Southern California, C&H Sales was forced to move from its long time home in Passadena. It was similar to Apex in some ways and was usually the before or after place in the same day.
When I was a kid, I would spend my Saturdays at C&H. And then there was Dow Radio about a mile or two west of C&H on Colorado Blvd....
100x more organized than it used to be. I haven't shopped there in 20 years, by my God, if you found something you wanted out in the open-air back yard and it was water soaked and rusty with loads of bugs on it and dripping mud, congratulations, you just found the most expensive item in the whole store.
@@alanpecherer5705 found a Metcal soldering station there in a bin of crap out there. They plugged it an and the tip didn't get hot. They sold it to me for $5.00. Replaced the coax to the tip and all was good. That was a rare victory.
What a place! I could spend my vacation there
What an awesome place, especially when you have such an aficionado to accompany you through the store. I could see myself spending hours in a place like this. Thanks for sharing!
Very, very great place to come by. They have soo many equipments, parts, items that never thought you would find. This video just touches on the products that could’ve found there. Best to come in person to check it out, and maybe a truck too.
Hi Pete, this is a great video. You picked a great guest. He is a treasure of talent and information that for the most part is lost in today's generation. I like stores like Apex but they have vanished only to be replaced with fast food locations. it's too bad what's happening. I don't always agree with the direction we go, but that's the world we live in.
I'll be looking for more great videos. Take care!
I live on the east coast and miss places like this. Any time I am in LA I always make a point of stopping by Apex and grab stuff. I will be out there soon again and will stop by Apex although maybe this time I will have them ship a much larger box than I can carry back. The place is awesome!
I used to go to Apex quite often, a great place. When my cousin visited from Australia, he bought a plug-in for his Textronix scope and was thrilled.
There is a surplus (and new) electronics store in Van Nuys called All Electronics, nothing like Apex but very good, I go there regularly.
maybe not for long, rumour is they are closing up their last location in Van Nuys.
There are some lovely stories in the comments. I didn't have an electronics mentor as a young fella, my older brother emigrated to Boston USA from Ireland. I missed him so much every day that I discovered short wave radio and started listening to stations in Boston just to feel closer to him. In my 20's I started building my own radio parts.
In largo FL we had a very nice store called chester electronics, where you could find almost anything like this. It was a good place to hangout and meet up with other hams. They still had tubes and FP cans in the early 2000's.
I worked in the backroom at a surplus electronics store in Colorado. I was 'the old guy,' the answer man. I'd do repair and pricing of all sorts of old electronics gear. The company finally went under, but I managed to set myself up with a few antique radios, from Arborphone to Hammarlund, and a few hundred thousand parts before they closed for good.
That’s a great story. Where do you keep all this stuff?
You made me recall my repair experiences as a kids. I remember taking my Apple II computer in for repair. I’d watch the technician pull out schematics and do board level component repair. 14 year old me thought it was the coolest thing. I wish this was commonplace today.
John. OEM?
@Cory Gill I remember building a Heathkit HW-101 with my grade school science class.
Sounds like "Fistells" on 10th & Bannock in Denver.
I have been coming here since I was in High School in 1971. I am now 70 years old and still come here. It is the BEST place in the world for vintage electronics. Like a museum of electronic parts and devices.
What do you like to get? Are you a collector?
Oh my goodness. Just marked this gem on Google maps. What an awesome treasure chest
In Fort Wayne IN there was a warehouse full of electronic parts, etc. It was Pembeltons. When the owner passed some years ago, all the stuff seemed to vanish. No one seems to know or will admit to what happen.
Mysterious!
Same with a big surplus store near where I live now. One day everything was gone - the buildings were empty and the semi-trailers in the store's yard, full of tools and a yard full of equipment were gone. Later I found the owner passed away and his brother who ran the place for a few months really had no interest. He was there probably just long enough to sell the place off to a scrapper. It's now just a big empty fenced lot with a couple empty buildings.
Perhaps that's what happens - people die and that's the end of everything they tried to build.
Two years ago a large ag repair placed closed about 50 miles from where I live. I spoke with the owner. Despite the place being in business for several generations, he said his son wanted to be a gunsmith and has no interest in running this million dollar business. So he was selling everything. I would have given my right arm to inherit a business like that. And this place was gigantic.
I filled my truck with metal shelves, trays of assorted brake fittings and tools. Their welding shop alone would do any metal supply proud with all their stacks of metal. One of the large rooms above where they worked on the larger equipment such as dump trucks and road graders was filled with many tens of thousands of different hydraulic fittings. It would have been interesting to see how they moved a 1,500 ton hydraulic press they had sold off in their shop. I've never seen so many specialty tools.
They also had an auto parts store. But it was beyond any normal Napa store because it also catered to the commercial and emergency truck and ag equipment customer. From there I bought boxes of auto parts. And in addition to emergency spot lights etc I bought a new locking hub for a 1960's 2-ton International 4x4 for a few dollars. It will be interesting to see how many hundreds that goes for on eBay. All weekend long their parking lot was full of trucks loading up with everything from their parts store and their repair facilities.
Just so sad to see a large independent repair business like that now gone.
Electronic Surplus in the Cleveland area. Used to be open as a warehouse store like Apex, now web orders only. Not as big as Apex, but worthwhile.
SKYCRAFT SURPLUS in Orlando, FL is my local electronics surplus. It's still open to this day.
Awesome video Mr. Meets. Thank you for making & posting this video. (Brings back lots of memories).
It was a pleasure!
Your production quality so far is great! I cant wait to see what kind of videos you’re gonna make in the future.
Skycraft in Orlando is still going strong and just moved into a larger space recently.
The device at the 9-930 mark is from the U-2 spy plane. We had one of those in our heritage display case at Beale AFB. That's pretty amazing there are several there, but also makes sense with Edwards AFB not being far from there. Thanks for making the video!
No kidding! I have several Edwards / Mojave aviation videos on my wishlist.
You ever wonder why there is so much black and white footage of fighters shooting at other fighters from the planes viewpoint or footage of bombs falling out of the plane and crashing into the ground? Well all military planes have cameras linked to the fire controls through that box. When the pilot or gunner/bomber pulls the trigger that box interpolates the signal and triggers the cameras
We have a store in Houston, TX called Ace Electronics that is similar, not as extensive in antiques, but electronic components and hardware that I can browse for hours.
Used to be a place called "Weird Stuff" in Silicon Valley. It was fun just to browse through, seeing old IBM, Compaq, etc computers, monitors, etc. Bought an external hard drive there for my PS/2 Model 25 I had at the time.
The Simpson 260 was the only meter I saw in the military. It's major attribute was that it was tougher than a Timex watch.
It's truly sad that these stores have gone by the wayside. I remember going into the shop with my dad, that we had in my home town, and all the amazing things I would see as a kid. I got my first electronics heathkit from that store. Then Radio Shack became the store I went to when that place closed. To bad they are gone, so much is lost, especially the knowledge from the guys running those places.
My dad (b 1905) had a radio/tv repair business 1920 - 1965. Filing cabinets and shelves full of schematic diagrams ("Sam's Photofacts") Walls of vacuum tubes, little parts drawers all neatly labeled, spinning wheels of little jars hanging under shelves. I remember going to the BIG parts warehouse with mom to pick up CRT's, etc. It was pretty exciting and, I learned just enough to not electrocute myself!! Love the video!
Im gonna go visit the store now, this looks cool!
Apex is on par with, let's say, the Smithsonian only cooler! This wonderful homage to our past as a country and to a time when American engineering took front and center on the world stage following WWII. Apex in my opinion is comparable to a historical landmark, and God forbid they ever close their doors, I would hope to believe that everything inside will find a permanent home and kept safe for future generations to enjoy.
That's a really cool store. What a treasure.
This place looks awesome, I’d love to walk around the store and just admire all the old vintage equipment. I miss brick and mortar store such as this
You and me both!
Like a curated museum without having to pay the price of admission.
What an amazing place.
Would be interesting to see a video on some of the old tube audio amplifiers! Those, when restored, are GOLD to today's purist audiophiles!
I discovered Apex in the early 80's. I love creating and building electronic equipment. Apex was one of the 4 jewels I relied on for sourcing parts for my projects. Back then it was Apex, Joe Factor, Electronic City and All Electronics. They were all relatively near one another. Since then Joe Factor and Electronic City have closed but All Electronics is still open and I believe they are the best electronics store in the US. I owe so much to all of those stores. I permanently left California last year and leaving those stores behind makes me quite sad. I was so lucky to have have access to all of them. This video brought back some incredible memories.
I lived in North Hollywood for a short time in the late 90s. I have been to this store so many times, but I had no idea it was legendary. I still have a transformer I bought there back then. I just thought it was a random electronics junk store. So cool.
We have a place here in Houston TX just like this place called EPO Houston (electronic parts outlet). It’s not as big, but a great place.
Dont forget about Ace Electronics
There used to he a place called GWN radio in Worthing in the UK. It was very similar to this treasure trove, but not as big.
I still have many 'bits' on my shelves and in boxes from there, some of which I pull out for a modern project.
It's a shame these places have mostly closed down, but understandable.
There is so much to learn when looking at "old gear". When you get to understand how the original equipment works, it is easy to see how it evolved into what is used today. Disposing of this old stuff is throwing away knowledge.
Reading about old tech is not the same as working with it.
Great video for such a new/small channel. Please use a gymbal mount as it really helps reduce image shake.
👍🏻😀🇬🇧
Subscribed.
The last one in the Seattle area is called Vetco and they are AWESOME! No old milspec stuff, but I did once find a MASSIVE resistor for the regenerative brakes on an EMD locomotive bsck when they had an upstairs. Mostly they are a component retailer. They even carry some old tubes and sockets. I used to go there whenever I needed obscure resistors or caps to rebuild whatever vintage Hi-Fi gear I'd just purchased off eBay. Too bad I live 400 miles away now
Apex Electronics! I first discovered them in the mid-nineteen seventies when I was modifying my car dashboard. It was like a playground. They had army surplus, including old missiles!
While attending a VoTech school back in the late 1960's we had two best in class electronic stores. One was right across the street where I used to get of the "EL " train in Philly . This store only sold new products and I would stop in a few times a month. Still have the 101 uses of the Simpson model 260 book that I purchased there. Would use their tube tester to test radio & TV tubes until I built one.The other was a huge warehouse of surplus electronics. Can remember purchasing ten rolls of various size enamel wire for only around $5. Still have a couple rolls of it. Good old days.
I am a Simpson who lives in NZ. My father left me a collection of Simpson meters, some new that were open circuit. He said that the US meter Simpsons were distant reletaves.
Just curious are the Simpson meters that you are fortunate to have are marked model 260 - something? Only bad thing the new digital VOM meters are auto ranging and reverse polarity still still produce a reading.We had two Simpson meters at my first job and every year I would tame them to be calibrated and relaced test leads at the same time.
Lot's of nice equipment there, thanks for the tour!
Thanks, I’m a huge fan of your channel. 😀
Oh My God...I am geeking out. It warms my heart to know this store exists.
Woo hoo!
Where are the ARC-5 Navy transmitters or the PRC-77 2w FM manpacks? You cant call your self a surplus store without those :-) I worked for Fairchild Electronics for 37 years. We merged with Weston Instruments in the mid-80s. We then became Fairchild Weston. Many of us geezers remember the surplus stores in the 60s and 70s. It seemed like they were everywhere back then. I could spend a vacation at Apex but I'm on the wrong coast. Thanks for the memories.
I'm about a decade too young to have been able to visit Radio Row in Manhattan, but from what I read it was quite a place. I wish I could climb into a time machine and go back for a visit! Several square blocks of almost nothing but electronics. It was all demolished in order to build the world trade center, and the shop owners were forced to either move to a less viable location, or simply close up shop. Some of them actually died from the stress of it all.
The closest thing I came to something like this was Akihabara district 40 years ago
@@PeteMeets, I used to sell tubes and vintage electronics parts and gear as a sideline; the flea markets in New England were awesome for finding this kind of stuff, a decade or two ago, although most of it has likely either been sold off or dumpsterized by now. Every now and then I would find particularly valuable new old stock tubes, Western Electric speakers, tube hifi gear and so on. One time I found an old tube type RCA broadcast/recording mixer console for $70, which I sold for a nice chunk of change. One guy I mat at a flea market was in the late stages of doing a clean out of some small industry a warehouse that had been loaded up with electronics and he had filled 2 dumpsters almost to the brim already. I could only dig a couple feet down into the dumpsters and so I'm sure there was lots of stuff near the bottom that I just couldn't get to, but I got tubes, sockets, high quality ceramic ritary wafer switches, chicken head knobs, audio and power transformers, and all kinds of desirable vintage electronics out of there. I Fill the back of my station wagon twice, and paid guy 200 bucks, and I think I sold everything for about 5 grand. It kills me to think of how much stuff must have been in the bottom of those dumpsters that I couldn't get at and there wasn't time for me to hire a 3rd dumpster delivered so that I could transfer everything I didn't want over to a spare/empty dumpster as I dug down through it all.
Interesting. I've lived in that area for a long time, and this is the first time I've ever heard of Apex. Used to buy a lot of stuff at Dow Radio and C&H Surplus in Pasadena, when they were still around.
As a kid interested in electronics and living in Pasadena I remember Dow and C&H very well.
Use to love going to C&H Surplus in the 80’s and 90’s. Could spend all day there.
Love the video pretty cool Rick keep up the good work.
Like a kid in a candy store! So wholesome seeing someone so passionate about things they love. And that store looks like an absolute wonder!
How did I never know this was there? I regularly passed within a block of it to and from high school, and later just going places in/through that area. I knew there was a lot of studio/prop/sound stage business right around there (which always seemed strange given the proximity to the rail line and loud industrial operations), but never considered that a surplus electronics store that might also cater to the props business would be located there. It would've been a nice place to spend an hour or two browsing with my dad on a Saturday.
Several times I considered scrounging around in the auto salvage yards in that area, to find components for my experiments - if I had known about Apex, I might've actually headed down that way - instead I tended toward AllElectronics across the valley, closer to my high school. (My bus route home passed through both areas part of the year!)
In Ireland , used to have several I used to frequent as a technician for my own projects in the 80s but by the 90s all were gone bar one that is just essentially on line, no basket trawling ...have to binge on line and now UK left EU some good sites now more expensive to use.
This is one cool place so much interesting stuff in there .
Love these kind of places. Hard to find these days. Need more of these thru the country!
Well, that's one of the best things I've ever seen!!!💚💚💚
So glad to know it exists, thank you..:::
It makes me happy too! The 3rd generation is helping run the operation. I wonder if people would like to learn more about people doing projects here. I have someone else who wants to share their restoration projects.
You'd think these would become popular again. I personally loathe having to go online to purchase even the most basic of electronics repair stuff.
There is something about being in a physical environment with like minded people that is SO inspiring.
I don't buy anything on line. My life suffers because I'm so stubborn.
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and I had no idea this place existed. Now I live in Phoenix, but next time I am back in LA, I'll absolutely have to check this place out. I also didn't know about your channel either, so I've subscribed, and thank you for such a terrific profile on this rare gem of a store!
You’re welcome, thanks for your support!
Wow incredible store!
Whoooooooooooa. If I lived in the area and visited that store, I'd never go out! If new EEVBlog episodes stop appearing, it'll probably be because Dave Jones came there and couldn't escape. A vintage electronics lover's black hole. So many things of beauty - and the guys know their stuff! It's more of a museum of all things obsolete, a lovely collection.
Hahah. He did a video on it over 10 years ago. You’ll notice how much more organized it is now!