Latest news with #AmericanScienceSurplus
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
American Science & Surplus fundraiser, needs help to stay afloat
The Brief American Science & Surplus started a fundraiser to keep the business afloat. The quirky science store opened its first Milwaukee location in 1981. The owners said the business needs help to cover costs of relocating its warehouse. MILWAUKEE - A beloved store in the Milwaukee community is in need of a helping hand, and so far, the community is coming through. The backstory American Science & Surplus has a history that dates back nearly 90 years. Founded in Chicago, it opened its first Milwaukee location in 1981 and later moved to its current home near 68th and Oklahoma. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android What they're saying The owner set up a GoFundMe online fundraiser to help the decades-old business stay afloat. "We've built up a good relationship with folks, and they really come through for us," said owner Patrick Meyer. "It's a difficult situation asking people to help, but it's worked out well for us so far." Meyer said it needs to move out of its current warehouse, which is too big for its needs amid falling sales, and its lease has expired. "There's also some extra costs associated with us getting out of the warehouse quicker," owner Patrick Meyer said. "We have to find a temporary warehouse spacing, we have to hire more trucks faster, so it's put us in a bit of a crunch." SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News The goal was set at $125,000 and, so far, more than $100,000 has been raised. Meyer said he's grateful for the support. American Science & Surplus sells unique and quirky science gadgets at three locations today, including the one in Milwaukee. The other two are located in Illinois. The Source Information in this report is from FOX6 News interviews.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Owner of beloved American Science & Surplus worries stores might have to close, asks for help
American Science & Surplus, a unique and beloved store in the Chicago area, is reaching out to the community for help and says it may have to close. The store — which currently has locations in Uptown Park Ridge, west suburban Geneva, and Milwaukee — has been in business for nearly 90 years. It is a store so unique that owner Patrick Meyer struggles to define it. "Very hard to do to, describe American Science & Surplus," Meyer said. The website for the store gives it a try. It says American Science & Surplus — formerly American Science Center — was established in "about 1937" by Western Electric employee Al Luebbers. "Al had a great interest in optics and he noticed that a company next door to the plant where he worked was throwing away reject lenses," the store's website recounts. "He asked them if he could buy the rejects and they said, 'No, But you can have them if you will haul them away.'" Luebbers and his wife took the lenses, spruced them up, and offered them for sale on Popular Science. Orders started coming in, and this led to the founding of a business, American Lens & Photo. After World War II, war surplus became the catalyst for the expansion of the company. Luebbers went on to open a retail store on Chicago's Northwest Side called American Science Center — which also featured educational science items. For a holiday gift idea feature story on Dec. 4, 1978, the adventuresome Channel 2 reporter Bob Wallace paid a visit to the American Science Center, then located at 5700 N. Northwest Hwy. in the Norwood Park neighborhood. The offerings back then included a 10-foot shovel that was made to get the ashes out of old coal furnaces, a World War II bomb sight, a radiation detector of early 1950s vintage, and a manometer that stood taller than Wallace himself. "Chances are if you're trying to put together some sort of scientific contraption, the part you need to complete your masterpiece may be lying on a shelf here," Wallace said in his 1978 story. What became American Science & Surplus kept expanding. Al Luebbers' son Jerry, who appeared in Wallace's package, took over in the 70s and started a catalog operation called Jerryco in 1979. He opened a second location in 1981. In 1988, Jerry Luebbers took a partner, Scott McCausland, who bought out the Luebbers family after Jerry Luebbers died that same year at the age of 46. The Geneva location opened in 1991. Meanwhile, American Science & Surplus launched its first website in 1995. McCausland retired and sold the company to "lifelong science geek" Philip Cable, who in turn sold to employee Patrick Meyer in 2012. The Chicago area flagship location has moved around over the years. After moving from its original Norwood Park location, American Science & Surplus was located at 5316 N. Milwaukee Ave. in the Jefferson Park neighborhood for many years — until relocating to 27 N. Northwest Hwy. in Park Ridge. But the spirit of the stores has always remained the same — as the items at American Science & Surplus continue to inspire both serious scientific contraptions and whimsy. Back around, say, 1990, a boy who wished to procure a rubber brain and some plastic eyes to turn make into his own model of the villain Krang from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" would only have need visited American Science & Surplus to do so. American Science & Surplus today still carries a hodgepodge of industrial, military, and educational items — which have been used in homemade cars and telescopes, model railroads, and sculptures alike. A visit to the Park Ridge location Tuesday turned up chemistry flasks and toys under the same roof as a mule branding kit from World War II. CBS Chicago has kept on visiting over the years too. Wallace's successors in the Channel 2 fun features department, reporter Vince Gerasole and Meteorologist Ed Curran, made several visits for our news over the years too. Customers known as Surpies proudly even get tattooed with the store logo. Current owner Meyer has been working for American Science & Surplus since his teenage years. "Kind of Radio Shack meets Hope Depot meets Bed, Bath & Beyond," Meyer said in another attempt to describe the enigmatic store. But he says the situation now is dire. "It's not great," Meyer said. "We have to — there's a lot of different steps involved in pulling us out of this." Rising operational costs, competition from online retail giants like Amazon, and software problems are just some of the challenges Meyer says American Science & Surplus faces. "You come in here, you build these relationships with people," he said, "and it's very hard for me to see anything happen to it." Meyer has launched an online fundraiser to try to save the business and his community. "It's been 88 years, and we've built good relationships," Meyer said, "and we are hoping that they can help out." From kids to senior citizens, the impact of the store has spanned generations. 'I always find something that looks interesting to me here," said youngster Isaac Roth. "For me, this store has been the holy grail all these years," said Andy Anderson. "For 35 years I've been coming here." "It makes me really sad," said Evynn Roth. "I mean, it's really a friendly place and a very unique place — and I would really miss it." The Park Ridge American Science & Surplus location, again, is located at 27 N. Northwest Hwy. the Geneva location is on Route 38, 1/4 mile east of Kirk Road. The Milwaukee location is located at 6901 W. Oklahoma Ave. up in the 414.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
American Science & Surplus launches $125,000 GoFundMe to keep the store alive
What does a rubber chicken, a Tesla coil, telescopes, and school supplies all have in common? They're all at American Science & Surplus, 6901 W. Oklahoma Ave. in Milwaukee. And that list just scratches the surface. This unique business has been helping to inspire the imaginations of many for decades in Milwaukee and its two Illinois locations. Now the business owner, Patrick Meyer, is asking for help by launching a GoFundMe to help keep the stores operational. Meyer purchased the 88-year-old company in 2012 after working at its Chicago store as a teenager. Eventually he opened a second store in Milwaukee and a third in Geneva, Illinois. The company also has a mail order catalog and website. The GoFundMe description cites 'rising operational costs, the increased pressure from online retail giants, software issues and soaring shipping rates' as the latest and greatest challenges to avoid closure. The company needs to relocate/downsize its warehouse – a $130,000 cost – update its software for $25,000, and reorganize. The GoFundMe has raised over $50,000 with over 1,000 donations as of May 24 with a $125,000 goal. While acknowledging there is some worry about the company, Lilly Ward, assistant manager of the Milwaukee location, said staff isn't too worried in her store, the largest of the three. 'I don't think we're going to go down without a fight,' she said, smiling. The company as a whole employs around 50 people, Ward said, while the Milwaukee location has 12 staff members. Ward, who has been with the company 4½ years, said while sales have been down since the COVID-19 pandemic, it was only in the last year the store had seen a steep decline. She attributed a lot of it to online shopping as well as increased shipping costs. Despite lower sales, Ward said the American Science & Surplus website typically 'has a lot of traffic on it.' The Milwaukee store has a lot of foot traffic with Ward saying they have a lot of loyal customers. One of those customers is Herk Wanggaard of Racine and he said most times he visits the store it is packed with people. Wanggaard said he has been coming up to the store for many years to get everything from motor parts to electrical items. 'There's always oddball stuff here,' he said, noting stock is always different and prices are reasonable. Missy Vanderwal makes the drive from the Brown Deer area whenever she sees something that catches her eye on the store's Facebook page. 'I love all the craft things and school supplies,' she said. When asked why she chooses to shop in store versus online retailers, she said online is convenient but shopping at the store is more like a scavenger hunt. She said she often finds stuff she wouldn't think of searching for because she didn't know it existed. 'Every time it's something different,' she said. The store has cut back on a few products including telescopes and microscopes, but Ward said she has worked to remerchandise the entire store to keep inventory fresh. Ward and other staff said classic toys like the squeaky rubber chicken and bird that dips its beak into water are still big sellers. As for some hidden gems, Ward said their 'treasure aisle' is always good to check for unique ever-changing offerings. Specifically, she called out the metal earth models as a favorite. Tim Kern has been working at American Science & Surplus for almost a decade, and he said one of the most useful items in the store is a 24-volt DC motor which has been used in the store to create moving displays. He said it's also perfect 'if you're making a scary Santa jumping out of a coffin on your front lawn.' Contact Erik S. Hanley at Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: American Science & Surplus launches GoFundMe to keep the store alive
