[GTALUG] another unique store gone: Above All Electronic Surplus

[mwilson at Vex.Net]

> On Mon, 16 Dec 2019 at 00:01, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk
> <talk at gtalug.org>
> wrote:
>
>>
>> I blame me, and people like me.  We stopped giving them enough
>> business.
>
>
>
> Don't beat yourself up over this. The Internet also sped the decline.

I do suspect, also, that the electronics industry has faded away from the
T.O. area.  Less industry creates less surplus.  Last time I was at Active
Surplus, quite a few years ago, I found some transistors at 10 for $1.00. 
The same parts at Home Hardware at College and Spadina were $.10 each. 
Active surplus just didn't have the "surplus" advantage any more.
>
> These businesses thrived on the oddball, low-volume, specialty stuff that
> benefits from central warehousing. Stuff that used to be the realm of
> specialty stores like Raspberry Pis are now on Amazon and a bunch of other
> online retailers, along with the various patchboards and DIY stuff. People
> post shopping lists for kits that you can then just assemble in an online
> shopping cart, and shipping cost is often lower than round-trip bus fare.
>
> I think the store I miss the most of this genre was Efston Science on
> Dufferin
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