An iconic electronics surplus store will soon be closing its doors.

Phil Sellati, owner of Fair Radio Sales in Lima, Ohio, says it's time to close the business.

"I took over the business that my dad started in 1947, and after 50 years, it's time to close the doors," he said. Sellati has had an offer on the building and feels that it's time to move on.

There are 30,000 square feet of equipment and parts that all need to go. Sellati wants to be done with the business by October 2023, but he thinks it might take a little longer. He has even received suggestions to stay open for next year's Hamvention® in Xenia, Ohio.

Thousands of amateur radio operators, collectors, experimenters, and shortwave listeners have visited the store over the years. The shelves and aisles are full of old military radios and receivers. The store's fall-winter 1967 catalog lists a BC-499 FM 20 - 28 megacycle five-channel, crystal-controlled receiver with a dynamotor for $18.95; a GO-9 Navy 100 W CW transmitter for $69.95; along with pages of meters, cords, headphones, and microphones circa 1942.

Many Fair Radio Sales visitors started visiting when they were young, and they continue to shop there now. For one radio amateur, it was a must-stop location every year on their way to Dayton Hamvention. Another amateur radio operator said he stopped there in 1980 to pick up a Teletype Model 19 that still works today!

Sellati said he likes what he does and has enjoyed coming to work, but he wonders what comes next. He said he's thinking about looking for another building and starting over.

Fair Radio Sales