Chester Electronics on Youtube
 

Posted 2 days ago, a Youtube video tour of Chester Electronics Supply in Kenosha Wisconsin. This is the only place I know of in my area still in business selling the kinds of electronic parts from back in the day. If you are not familiar with Chester Electronics, it will be worth your while to watch this 17 minute video which will give you an idea of the kinds of stuff they sell. This is a very big store. I think before Chester moved in, it was probably a very large super market. Chester also had a branch in Largo Florida but that location was closed about 10 years ago.

Chester is the goto place in my area for electronic parts. I stopped in just about a month ago to pick up some low voltage electrolytics and a bottle of high voltage varnish. They have an entire wall of NTE components, vacuum tubes, hardware, tools, and lots of small parts like switches, and a lot of Switchcraft stuff. Watch the video closely, you may see something you need.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAs7adDdcaQ&t=926s

They are a good source for some really oddball stuff.

I've been there many times, but they'd never let me roam the areas behind the long counter or in the back rooms to see what's back there. I asked to browse through their flybacks and yokes-no, couldn't let me do that. I had to tell them specifically what I wanted, and they'd go back to see if they had them. I wanted to see their variety of interlock (cheater) cords. They brought out a few different to show me. I asked about right angle ones, varieties with and without ears, etc. Each time they went backed and grabbed a few more to show me. Would have been much easier if they would have just walked me into the back and showed me where they were. On one visit about 15 years back I did buy a large amount of ferrite bar antennas and variable caps for projects (that never got started).

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I wonder if there is any similar place in Arizona, but now you've given me the idea to ask you to be a "personal shopper" if the need arises. :D

Seriously, when I moved to the east side of Grayslake, IL, in 2000, I was on the edge of a bad TV ghost radial from stations reflecting among the tallest Chicago buildings. The local Radio Shack refused to sell me a UHF-only antenna (that was small enough to move to various spots in my attic) because they said people always returned them. I got one at Chester plus the items to multiplex it with my all-band TV antenna, which could be aimed but had to sit dead center in the attic, unfortunately a bad spot for one UHF station.

Probably because you're not as charming as this videos tour guide. That and they probably knew if you seen it you'd want to buy it all. ;) Thanks for posting the video, I had no idea and really enjoyed it.

First time I went there I got a good walk around behind the desk before they informed me I wasn't supposed to be there....I had browsed the isles in front of the desk front to back and noticed the back most isle went behind the desk and there was nothing indicating staff only (I've also had autoparts stores with similar layout invite me behind the desk so it seemed normal)...So I assumed it was fine and got a look at their stuff...They were polite in asking me to go back to the other side of the desk.

It is one of those places I try to visit once every year or two...I need to compile better lists of parts to ask them about when I go there.

I've bought many good hard to find parts from them.

One thing I don't recommend buying from them is electrolytic caps. Most of their stock is decades old and several of the ones I bought were leaky and didn't reform well.... With lytics it's better and cheaper to buy new parts from a reputable online new parts distributor than their supply of caps that seem to be older than me...lytic caps are like milk only they expire slower.

Looking at the hodge-podge of junk in the back, it's obvious they buy out defunct distributors and repair shops. much of the stuff is shop-worn.
The gal depicted was buying, what looked like old lighting fixture lenses.
I don't think, I'm going there for vacuum tubes. They wanted to nick me $13.00 for a 1DG3 HV rectifier, used in a GE PortaColor . I commented, it isn't an audio tube, why so expensive! Naturally, I didn't buy it!
I ended up buying it from ESRC, from the dollar list. The only thing is there, you have to buy ten or more tubes from the dollar list, but there was a few other odd-ball tubes I needed. I recommend them whole-heartedly. :thmbsp:

Honestly I don't see how a place like that can keep their doors open with the limited market for most everything they stock. They're stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to be competitive with online sellers and actually paying the heat and lighting bills to keep the large walk in area open to the public. My personal experience with owning a large retail space has become extremely challenging. Expenses keep going up and yet the market share keeps getting spread thinner and thinner. It's hard to understand until you try running a retail store first hand, just how expensive the overhead is today.

I ran a TV repair shop in the early 70's, so I have a bit of an idea of the expense. Rent, electric bill, heating bill, insurance, the whole nine yards.
I just couldn't see $13.00 for a HV rectifier tube. I bought several other items from them. :scratch2:

I agree with you on the prices of most obsolete electronic parts. My point was that selling surplus parts to a minority group of hobbyists has got to be a real challenge in today's economy. You and I aren't going to pay today's inflation adjusted rate on those type of items. Their operational costs keep going up with inflation, but for the consumer of those parts, the prices for practical purposes are locked in time. Basically there's not enough demand for the huge volume of parts still littering the county. As fare as I know there's no viable industry needing TV tubes.