[Milsurplus] Surplus stores, then and now

[Jack]

Long Island checking in...

My "first" surplus store was AlgerRadio in Hempstead, NY.
It was a small, triangle-shaped building run by a guy who
smoked a cigar (didn't they all?). In 1959
I was working on getting my Novice license and my father 
found out about the place through one of his co-workers
who was a Ham. I bought a telegraph key (the sealed
balck "Navy key") for 75 cents and a pilot light assembly
(don't ask why). I still have both (45 years).
Alger Radio eventually moved to a bigger store which happened
to wind up a bock from where I went to high school. When the
RTTY bug bit, I bought my first "RTTY Handbook" there.

Then there was Community Electronics in Freeport, NY, run
by Tom DeVito. Tom was great guy and I often stopped by to
see him when I was on my rounds working for Ma Bell. I got
to know Tom pretty well and became part of his inner
circle. That meant I could come in the back door and join him
and some other oldtimers for coffee or something stronger.
He always had the really neat gear in the back room for his
friends to check out.

Edlie Electronics was a latecomer, mostly surplus electronic
parts. I heard they're still in business in Levittown.

73,
Jack WA2HWJ