Save Sunny's Surplus
I met a nice woman this week who recently quit her job as a buyer for Sunny's Surplus. I had no idea it was a Maryland operation. I spent many afternoons in the store on Harford road in Baltimore with my grandfather searching for the one item I was allowed to buy back in the late sixties. The gas masks, the cap guns, the grenades like miniature iron pineapples, the compasses and canteens, the helmets and the camouflage, the bayonets, the machetes, the gold .50 caliber dummy ammo that I grasped as a baton, the bolt-action wooden rifles from WWII, the myriad patches and decals, and the shining Marine's sword up by the check out counter. I spent hours there imagining what it was must be like to be in Vietnam. The Sun reported B-52 bombings every day above the fold and during baseball season kept a small box reserved for the Oriole scores below it. Sunny's is going through tough times these days. Walmart carries a similar inventory. War is a different ballgame.
posted by DeanboyHoo at 12:24 PM
1 Comments:
I used to work at Sunny's and while there, I learned something important- small business is what makes America the land of opportunity. When we give in to these huge conglomerates, we tell the small businesses, our neighbors, they aren't important to us anymore, the almighty dollar is. Too often, we would have returns from a customer we could see stepping into the Kmart across the street, and walking out with a similar but not equal item. They would sheepishly walk back into our store and tell us that "it's the wrong size," or "we already had one," or anything to keep us from suspecting they went across the street.
Where are the kids going to get their scout and camping supplies? Where can we get one of a kind pieces of history? And where are we supposed to go when we need just that one last thing before heading out? I know there are places, much more expensive places or online or a bargain outlet, but none can fill that niche that Sunny's is leaving behind.
I would hope that the Sunny's Family is able to recover, but I've begun to question whether the people of Maryland deserve it's dedication.
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