brick and mortar electronics stores in Chicagoland

[elmegil]

I live and work in the Chicago area, and I find it hard to believe that there are no good walk-in electronics components stores around here.

However, all I can find is Radio Shack (mediocre at best, though their selection of Arduino and Parallax stuff is improving) and Fry's in Downers Grove (only a tiny bit better, because they only carry NTE and most of the stuff I've bought there when you look at it in the right light appears to be rebranded other manufacturer's stuff, if not outright forgeries). I love browsing at American Science and Surplus, but they're best for electromechanical (still love my big colored paddle switches) more than actual components.

Google is no freaking help, "electronics" gets you everything from Best Buy to the local Cellular Depot to manufacturers, and even the local business office for Allied Electronics (no warehouse, no stock). I have yet to find a decent actual electronics store.

Anyone have any pointers? Northwest suburbs (I work up I-294) or near west side (I live near but not in the city) are my base, so anything that takes me down to say Joliet, or Evanston, while they're doable, they are not optimal.

I know I can order the world online, but sometimes you just want to look at stuff, or you want two zener diodes for Ian Fritz's chaos circuit and don't want to pay shipping.

Thanks.....

[clee]

Sad, isn't it.

Newark doesn't have a will call window anymore. All their stock gets shipped from Georgia or something. So even though they have a huge office 3 blocks from me I still can't get that one part that I forgot to order...

Craig

[parasat]

Pretty much all we have left is the hideously expensive Tri-State electronics in Mount Prospect. They do have more then radio shack. And they have the rudest counter staff on planet.

American Science and Surplus (NW side of chicago) is very hit or miss. Joseph's is now strictly video. I haven't seen a Grainger (Skokie) catalog in 20 years, but they might still have some parts...

Newark's counter has been closed for a LONG time. as has Allied

I hope this thread uncovers more. Or goads someone with the capitol into opening up a shop

[elmegil]

I work with a guy who used to do IT for Grainger, maybe I can ask him. I always thought they were mechanical parts....

[parasat]

They used to stock repair parts for almost everything. but my last experience with them was again, 20+ years ago...

And yes, Allied did sell their retail division to Tandy Crafts, maker of moccasin kits. If your old enough you can remember when Olson Rugs sold their electronics parts biz to Teledyne. Or Lafayette.

[marvkaye]

Grainger might be ok for industrial strength electromechanical things but I doubt you'll find the first passive or IC in their catalog. Ditto McMaster, (although I prefer them to Grainger for what they do.)

It's a shame there aren't more non-chain electronics stores around the city... you'd think with a population that size there'd be more than enough demand. (I could envision the mid-western equivalent of Akihabara somewhere on the fringes of The Loop... )

I remember as a kid growing up on the south side it used to take a couple hours each way via bus, then train, and finally another bus to visit Allied at Randolph & Western to spend my saved up allowances on Knight kits.... thanx for jogging the memory.

<marv>

[elmegil]

My dad did a lot of leatherwork from Tandy. I had a pair of those leather moccasins I made myself

[parasat]

Yup, I made a pair of those moccasins, and built my share of Knight Kits

And HeathKits, from their store on Devon. Anyone remember the Benton Harbor bus?

There are a few weird little computer parts places in a fringe around the loop. I met a few of them at the dupage county computer swap shows years ago. I think Machina is still down on Hubbard.

Maybe we should start a co-op?