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Electronics Surplus Shop 'WeirdStuff Warehouse' Is Closing (fastcompany.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the one-door-closes-another-opens dept.

Fast Company's harrymcc writes: When technological goods are no longer of use to anyone in Silicon Valley, they end up in the WeirdStuff Warehouse -- where, it turns out, there often is someone willing to pay for them. Sadly, the 32-year-old Sunnyvale store is closing forever on Sunday. I paid a final visit and, as usual, felt like I could rummage through this vast storehouse of obsolete gadgets and software forever. WeirdStuff first made an appearance on Slashdot in 2003 when editor chrisd asked Slashdotters about their favorite surplus stores. Also mentioned was Skycraft.

5 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. Re:You fucked yourselves by alexru · · Score: 4, Informative

    Also, if you want junk, Halted is still around. And there are a few other places like that in the Bay Area.

  2. Silicon Valley is dying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    One thing is missing here - why it is closing? The answer is - because Google has acquired large real estate area in Sunnyvale and asked WeirdStuff leave their premises in just one week. Essentially Google is killing the very nature of Silicon Valley - the environment where engineers and their kids created their unique creatures.Halted (HSC) is in similar position - they had to leave their building and they are looking for a buyer.

    Say hello to the newSilicon Valley - full of advertising scum and social network companies.

    1. Re:Silicon Valley is dying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      The letter

      However, having to vacate their premises wouldn't mean the company closing down if it wasn't already in trouble. Leases don't get invalidated with change of ownership, so if they're vacating before the end of the lease, it's because Google offered them money to move out early. Otherwise they could stay until the end of the lease and look for new premises. Clearly they took the opportunity to shut down with some extra cash in pocket, and they don't think it's worth trying to keep the company going.

  3. Re:You fucked yourselves by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2, Informative

    Sunnyvale sucks, it's a Mexican barrio.

    Sunnyvale is too expensive for many Latinos. It is mostly Asian (41%) and white (35%).

    Sunnyvale demographics

  4. Surplus Shed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you are a photography/optics/astronomy nerd, the Surplus Shed in Fleetwood PA is an excellent resource, consisting of all kinds of interesting and bizarre consumer, educational, industrial, and military gear and parts, including the remaindered stock of Jaegers and Wollensak. Most of their business is online, but if you can get in the half day a week they are open, their warehouse (a converted 4 room schoolhouse) is a paradise of optical treasures mixed with a fever nightmare of hoarding and cat fancy.