Great video! I'm a local from this area, and I stopped in to Chester today and they said people have been talking about your video nearly every day since you posted it. They even mentioned that at least two people are flying in from out-of-state to check it out after seeing your video. You've done a great service to a local electronics shop, and I'm sure they're very grateful for it. Thanks Rinoa!!
@alanwoodcock3284 as would I to keep them in business. But our host here pays with "so cool's". I'd already know what I was going to spend before I went in. Call me crazy.
You may be surprised to know that there was a 'second' Chester Electronics in Largo Florida (Tampa area). It was just about 5 miles from where I lived and shut down about 7 years ago. I was in there one day looking for a hard to find item and they made a call to the Wisconsin store to see if they had my item. I was blown away thinking that there were actually '2' of these stores. The Florida store had the exact same look and feel as the Wisconsin store. So sad they closed it down.
Think of the millions of tons of this stuff that got hauled to the dump over the years! I don't know what 99% of that is, but I think it's very cool that there's people who see the value in preserving old electronic gear for other aficionados. Thanks!
Reminds me of a big garage sale! I've had boxes of old resistors, led"s switches, etc just sitting around for many years, thinking I'll use them for all kinds of fun DIY projects, but in the game of life, there was never enough time!
Same here, i have also lots of items to do DIY, but in the game of life, there was never enough time meanwhile 40 years of hard-work in the world of Electronics.
Really enjoyed this video. These places are to be cherished for sure. The dedication of the people running them is testament to their interests. Thanks for taking us along.
I used to have a shop like this in my city. However it was rarely open, hard to find, and difficult for me to get to. By the time I did get someone to take me there, it had pretty much been picked clean. Owner was retiring and so had not bought any more stock. I bought the two things I knew I would use, and left.
Wow. Last time I actually saw a stock of vacuum tubes for sale in a store was around 1990. I know there are plenty available online. I used to love watching the tubes in our old TV warm up.
I've been in this store once to have a look around. It was a true time capsule of the electronics industry for sure. This place was quite amazing. I live right down the street from this store actually and I love Kenosha. There is just so much to see and do here. Mars Cheese Castle is another awesome gem in town, as well as the Kenosha lakefront with it's amazing museums and even electric street cars. And all on the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan. And there's tons of shopping, hotels and restaurants as well in town. Kenosha is now a bustling place for sure with a lot to see and do. Definitely a great tourist town for those not from here.
Some of my fondest times as a (nerdy) kid was prowling around the local army surplus electronics store. The owner was a disabled army vet with unlimited stories to tell.
Man that place is like a dream come true. Where else would you find vacuum tubes still on the shelf for sale? I remember places like that when I was a kid unfortunately they are going away or gone these days. I wonder what they are selling with so much vintage merchandise still on the shelf I wonder what they're making money on and how they keep the door open. Thanks for sharing.
Chris , I’ve been wondering for years how they stay in business myself lol. I bought a Pioneer laserdisc player there brand new in 1979 or 80. At the time they did the kind of business a Bestbuy does today.
@@thermionicman6700 my hunch is they own that shopping mall, and have tenants, or they at least own their store front. no way they could stay in business if they were paying market rate rent,
While I did very much enjoy this video, I enjoyed seeing you feeling out and smiling ear to ear even more. 😁 Seeing all of the content of the store brought me back to managing stores for RadioShack. Ah, the memories.
What I wouldn't give to have a store like this in my town.
4 года назад
I could spend a few hours looking around that place, nothing quite like that around here if I ever get down that way I'll have to stop and check it out.
It would be awesome to have this store in my town.........oh wait this is my town and I live about a half mile away from Chester's. I have been in there several times.
That is an electronics candy store.A store like that should be in every state like the old days when people repaired electronics equipment,i hope it will stay open.
Now that's a real electronics store! I would love to get my hands on some of that stuff.... Reminds me of a small shop near me that recently shut down...
People who disliked are kids that don't know anything about old electronics and think this store is trash. Btw cool store i would love to buy many stuff for my projects
I'm in nerdvana! I was thinking of trying to describe how watching this was making me feel --- but your face at 14:51 expresses it far better than any words I could write. Thank you!
Great video. I remember places like this in the seventies when I was growing up. Now all those places are gone. I built a lot of electronics from all that junk I bought back then. Mostly for Ham Radio projects.
The financial district of Manhattan once was an area that became known as Radio Row after the end of World War II; several blocks of electronics, radio, and TV stores, and lots of military surplus parts and devices. Those business were all forced out in order to build the World Trade Center. Some of the businesses took a buyout from the city and closed up; others attempted to band together and sue the city and the developers, but eventually lost and were forced to relocate to less desirable areas with less foot traffic and therefore reduced sales. Some years ago, Antique Radio Classifieds magazine ran a series of articles about the area, the history, and the legal fight that left the original shop owners broke and broken.
good 'un , we had an area like that here in Chicago. It was on Michigan Ave., about 1-2 miles, south of the "Loop" (downtown Chicago). You could buy anything electronic there : government surplus radio from WW2, etc. I was in high school then (early to mid 1960s) and bought up everything I could afford. I'd build everything I could, ham radio stuff. I kept it all through the years (now in boxes and crates in my basement). I sure miss those days! Kids today don't have a clue about how much fun (and education) one can get with this kind of "junk." Most wouldn't know which end of a soldering iron to grab! ( I know : "What is a soldering iron?" They would ask.)
@@jeromewysocki8809 , I bet that was one heck of a great electronics bazaar and flea market spot, considering how many electronics manufacturers were based in Illinois and especially the the Chicago area. Chicago transformer, CTS, clarostat, centralab, UTC, I believe they were all based in that area camera also triad and thordarson if I remember correctly. And Valco, who made guitar amplifiers for Gretsch and Sears and Montgomery wards and other retailers as well as their own brands, National and Supro.
@@goodun2974 Yep. End of and era there. Back in 1988 the Marines shipped me out of Japan to California. It was still hopping here with electronics and computer stores. I cant tell you how many times I took my Apple IIE to one of those "junk stores" to have something replaced. Usually the power supply or something. Nowadays I would have to throw that out and get a new one. LOL. The young kids dont know what they missed. Those bastards walk around praying to their smart phones.
@@jeromewysocki8809 And you know what Jerome, to add insult to injury, all the electronics and police scanner magazines have disappeared from the store shelves. Some of them like popular electronics tried to go digital but I dont see them anymore. maybe they were too early in that game. All the great electronics magazines I grew up with are gone. Even a lot of the early computer magazines are no more. We have to thank the housing financial crisis and the recession or whatever the hell that was back then. It was a hell of a reset. It was good in a way because a lot of the competing stores closed. But that left us with a more expensive economy and now we have to pay an arm and a leg for rent and goods.
Such a beautiful smile,and wonderful tour, through the best electronics / assorted parts place. The people there must be friendly indeed to let you tour unimpeded. 💝
Dang I miss the ol Brick and Morter shops. First place I use to go was the bargain racks. This was like stepping back in time for sure. I remember when 7-11 stores had tube testers just like that one . You tested your radio or Tv tube and hopped they had the one you needed in the little shelf under the tester. LOL That is one AMAZING Store.
I didn't know this was so close to me! I'm like about 20 miles south in IL. Also - those weren't floppy controllers. Those were combined floppy and either MFM or ESDI hard drive controllers. The one to the left was probably a cache card - likely a caching hard drive controller. I sent a link to this video to a group of friends I have in the classic computer scene to see if they noticed anything they're looking for. (This means you're unlikely to get a Model-M if you go back later. Sorry. XD ) Thanks for making this video!
used to spend half my wake time in shops like these during the 80's and early 90's - they all but vanished. none nearly as big as Chester Electronics but still. happy something like it still exists. thanks for uploading!
I remember hanging out at places like this in college, great to see them still around. But these are really nerdy venues to a large majority of people. And yet here I am watching 🤓
This reminds me of years ago when I would spend hours at Purdue salvage co. In West Lafayette Indiana. They would salvage and sell all the old lab and other equipment from Purdue university. That was a blast. You would see anything from mainframe computers to old desks and chairs. It was so cool!
I remember driving 2 hours with my Grandpa to go to Chesters just for some for some old Radio tubes. I left with a big box of DC motors through $8 for 25 of them. I have been using them for may different projects over the years.
Wow, you have not showed up on my feed for a long time, yet I see that you have been very active, Good to have you back on my feed, I love your content.
This facility is Absolutely Beautiful 🤩. My late father worked for Goodyear Aerospace in Akron as an Electronic Engineer.. US kids took a truck load of electronic stuff to the dump 😕 after his passing .. Every now and then , l think of all those cases of various tubes , transistors, capacitors, etc we threw away when building a guitar amp ..😢😢😢
Right in front of the tubes. Cool place! So much NOS electronics. Might need to put in an order for some stuff. I like building vacuum tube compressors. Those resistors and wirewound pots look very useful.
What a lovely store, I'm thrilled! The shelves are filled with tubes, and that tube tester must be heaven. America has many interesting stores where you can find what you need. It's great that old components can find a new purpose there, it's good for the environment and reduces unnecessary waste. I'm curious to see what new uses these glass enclosures will find.
Wish places still existed like this in the Uk. All the places like this here are long gone, and have been knocked down and turned in to cheap flats due to trying to house 15+ million people in the last 20 years coming over the English Chanel to live... Cherish these places you have while you still have them...
Hah, Nixdorf Computer AG. That's from Paderborn, Germany. 10 Miles from where I live. Heinz Nixdorf was one of Germany's computer pioneers. A department of the university is called after him and there also is the Heinz-Nixdorf Museumsforum, which is said to be the biggest computer museum in the world. That's so cool to see an old Nixdorf circuit randomly lying around in an electronics store in the US.
Blind rabbit, knowledgeable electronics nerds know that when it comes to capacitors, Cornell-Dubelier aka CDE, Mallory, Sprague and Aerovox were as good as it gets!
You are SO lucky! There are no such surplus stores in my area to my knowledge. Reminded me of my first real job at Radio Shack. We even had one of the tube testers you showed.
WOW!!! This brings back memories of my local store as a young man some 15 to 20 years ago, called Pembleton Electronics in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The original owner (Jim Pembleton) had stories a mile long. My weekly ventures to his store started in a basement, as it was known, to them into a larger industrial building... I so much miss him and the store... Thank you for taking the time to show this...
@@jackamelar1455 One of Jim Pemblton's young employee's purchased all of to take it over due to its potential $$$, Misener Electronics. I forget his first name, "Mike, Mark, Steve?" its been approx 20 years since chatting with Misener. But in the process of taking over, there was ALLOT of blind issues that Jim Pembleton left on the door step of Misener Electronics Inc or LLC. When you buy a business and their inventory, one would never expect to also buy all the hidden or bad business deal as well. I don't quite remember all the exacting details of what Misener said, but, although he tried to put of a good fight to keep it all going, it was just too much politics fighting against him, when old history still wanted their cut or debts paid. for example, some of the inventory that Misener took over, and paid for, Jim never paid for. Basically, double dipped. Please note, I do not know Jim's side of the story, as I only head this side from Misener after Jim past away. So, the factual story is unknown, as this is just one side only. I politely say, I do not believe mush of what Misener said, for all the claims of corruption Jim was involved in, and magically somebody else is not liable for that? I doubt that. But who knows. Why I question the truth of what or most of what Misener stated, vs he is just horrible at running a business, which is possible, (no disrespect to Misener, just stating that is possible) but, Jim Pembleton, being a crooked business man, screwing people over, for 50 years, is also possible, even though I doubt it, for one simple reason. many of the contractors that surplus was purchased from where through auction houses, and gov't contract auctions. and you don't get to rip those people off, it just doesn't work that way. First, you don't get to take you winnings home, until you first pay. that is any auction. Second, there was several contracts that would use Penbletons as a dump site, so that they didn't have to pay to have new/old stock dealt with in recycling, trash dump, HAZ-MAT process ,etc. and Jim would take it, and harvest it, and sell it ,LOL. key word: DONATED. and everybody wins. So, those people LOVED that end of the deal. As per Misener, I do not have anything bad to say about his attempt to keep it up and going, I do wish he was a success, but, it wasn't, for what ever the truth might be. That last I heard from Misener, those many years ago, that he was trying to set up a new location, as he did still have the majority of the inventory / surplus, but, that was a struggle, for the size building needed, vs, inventory size vs lease/rent/mortgage price, that all on its own can be a horrible adventure in trying to secure a store front, and be bonded, and insured utilities, etc.... I can only imagine, one month would cost every bit of $4000, and likely be closer to $12K a month... That is allot of overhead to deal with, unless you just already owned the building. As of now, I have no clue if Misener still has all that surplus, I doubt it.
As a kid, I remember being in this and their previous location with my dad who knew Chet. Chet (short for Chester) was friends with my dad's and they would talk for hours. We always knew when Chet was in the store because he smoked a cigar that unmistakably lingered in the air. While my dad talked with him for what seemed like hours to me as a kid, I would walk around in total amazement and look at everything. My dad would test tubes at that very tube tester from our RCA Color TV. My older brother would purchase parts for yet another electronics project of his that he probably got from those SAM's books. As far as we knew it was the only place to purchase all that project wire and reel-to-reel recording tape for our brand-new tape recorder! Oh, the memories!!! Thank you for this. If you can't find it, go to Chester Electronics.
Since those streetlight appear to be a variety of the Fresnel design you might be surprised of their output with various different sources of lamp types.
I love going to this place. I have gone there for record player belts, cartridges, needles, blank audio cassettes, and replacement capacitors for a Reel to Reel tape recorder. The owner knows his shit, too. None of that Radio Shack and Best Buy salesman bullshit. Walk in, look around without being bothered and when you have a question, it will be answered.
You don’t see these places in the UK anymore. We used to have the big companies like Henrys Radio and the US had Radio Shack. I loved walking around the local electronic shop and selecting resistors, capacitors, transistors (NPN and PNP), and aluminium boxes to build projects. These paces had a distinguished smell about them.You could also buy old magazines, Practical Electronics, Practical Radio. When i was small i remember my father buying me in the early 1960’s an electronics lab. In the box was a board with all these electronic components attached to springs. The box had circuit diagrams that you placed over the board that showed you how to wire up a project. I remember building my fist crystal radio and listening to station though a small earpiece. That experience was the basis for my career in electrical and electronic engineering. I also remember the old thermionic valves and CRT’s. Have you ever see these vintage electronic labs for sale? I would love to buy one because it would link me to the bond i had with my father when he was a live. Thanks for sharing this.
What a place. The phrase 'kid in a candy shop' probably best described that smile! I'll freely admit I don't understand much about electronics, but I would still love a look around a place like that. As someone from the UK who grew up with a ZX Spectrum or two (or three...) I have a thing for older technology.
reminds me of being a kid and walking into the parts store with my dad so he could get parts for TV's and VCR's... Belts, schematics, parts, everything was available in boxes and bags. I'd find a little motor or speaker that I liked and he might let me buy it and learn to hook it up.
There was a HUGE store in Dayton, Ohio for 55 years called Mendelson's... 55,000 square feet of it. They had everything from Military Surplus, to Electrical supplies, to new/old stock Electronics... And everything else someone could imagine. There was even a room of about 3,000 square feet that was chock full of brand new 1940s Linoleum in every color imaginable. Nothing in the place was much more than about $100... Vintage Bakelite knobs for radios or amplifiers were a whole quarter apiece. Holy Moley! All of those vacuum tubes and Capacitors you found!
Wow, this is really a great store ! Wish this was in my area here on Long Island NY. Now that I have been getting into working with older computers and video games from the late 70's and 80's, this would be perfect. Thanks for the tour! Much appreciated.
Wow! We used to have a Chester Electronics store in Largo, Florida and it closed many years ago. I used to buy TV antennas and every kind of electronic components there. I sure miss it. Now I have to use web based companies like eBay, Amazon, Mouser, Newark,Digikey, Jameco, etc. and wait for the components to arrive.
Being a UK Radio Ham, callsigns G7POG & M3MHM , I could spend the rest of my life in there, it reminds me of the Tandy shops that used to trade in UK selling Realistic brand radios and all things electronic etc, after they went off the scene another big player arrived called Maplins, but sadly they went also, now it’s Amazon and Ebay but there’s nothing like coming through the door of a electronics store and being greeted with rows upon rows of goodies, thanks for showing me around, great store, pity this isn’t located in Chester UK, again many thanks Mike QTHR
This takes me back to the 80s when we had a store like this - Herbach & Rademan. Displaced by urban development, it and several other unique shops did not last long in their new digs. Sorely missed. (One does remain in another town - Nicolas Smith Trains.)
This is a flipping time capsule! Just like the ones my dad took me to as a kid in the 80s. Right down to the wood panelling and floor tiles. How didn't scoop up all those model M's is beyond me
9:15 boxes of vintage 60s-70s TV and radio knobs...absolutely unheard of in the 21st century in a retail store...this is just getting better and better!!!
Very cool shop! In my city in northern hessia /Germany we had in the 70th/80th a lot of such shops! competition of the online trade destroied the most of them. They still survived 2!!! ☹
This kind of reminds me of Route 22 Electronics which I used to frequent in 1970's. They had the same Sams publications book shelves. They were my go to source for replacement RCA RC30 tubes manuals for about $2. I literally wore out the bindings on that book due to frequent use. To think a place like this exists today seems impossible. The owners must be independently wealthy and just run the business for fun as I cannot imagine it could support itself.
If you need used parts and many of them still new in their original packaging to fix up your 1930s radio or your 1950s TV or your 1970s computer or your fax machine or your VHS video cassette recorder, your LD player, your Walkman K7, etc, etc...This is the right store!
In 1977 the new Fry's Electronics opened in Sunnyvale. A group of us walked over to it during our lunch hour. My reaction was "Chips and DIPs on one aisle and chips and dips on another aisle, one was silicon and one was potato."
Love it. I like to restore vintage electronics and coin ops, this place is a veritable goldmine. I could spend all day there, and every time I would leave with a full cart.
I love seeing that there are still people in the US interested in Electronics as a hobby or career. So much tiny tech around us people don't know or care how it works at all.
Rinoa, You are awesome. Showcasing all the technology I grew up with. You seriously know vintage tech. Especially the old cable configurations. Sincerely, KC3NTS
well thank you! im tempted to use that old modem cable for the umbilacle to my rocket engine test stand when i end up computerizing my engine. it has like 30 connectors and its cool
There’s a place in Phoenix called Apache Reclamation. They get tons of used electronic equipment. Sometimes people will strip parts, but most of it goes to the dump. It would be nice if they listed every machine as it came in, so people could buy stuff. The problem is that most of the equipment is big. So it would be expensive to crate and ship.
I have GOT to make a trip to Kenosha! We do have a shop here in Grand Rapids, MI that does carry a lot of old electronics, but it is about a tenth the size of Chester Electronics, if that! Thanks for posting this. It's nice to see that here is a place like this not that far away!
Just like several stores in Sunnyvale and Mt. View in California. Also looks like my storage locker. At least now I can walk through a place like that and not be tempted to buy it all.
The old man's electronic shop, where there is a little bit of everything. IN East Lansing we have a place called Fulton Electronics, same idea but smaller and no surplus equipment. For surplus equipment, we have the University Surplus Center where every manner of equipment can be seen from some pretty nice labs and research. Once picked up a $45 box with 28 Stereo Headset retro looking, 12-6 port audio switches and a ton of 1/4 stereo patch cables. Loved the slow walk through the store. Keep broadcasting!!
As mentioned before there used to be dozens of places like this in California, but with the closing of HSC there are really no more. OrVac is still down in Orange County but they have mostly turned over to newer inventory. Also Apex is changing over to just a prop house and since Don left is no longer bringing in any new components. Things of the past unfortunately.
I honestly think he has even more stuff like this. Well maybe not so much the cables and such but he has a massive amount of equipment waiting to be restored.
Love it, we don't get shops like this in the UK. Strange one but I bet the smell of old electronics is amazing. Just imagine the new cost of everything there!
