Halted

[Chuck Guzis]

There were many pre-Fry's surplus places in Silicon Valley.  My Tek 
465 scope came from Haltek in Mountain View (in their heydey, they 
were bigger than Halted).  But since I lived in Sunnyvale, Halted 
(when they were on Evelyn) was "just around the corner" and a 
frequent stop.  There was also another place on Zanker in San Jose 
that I used to stop at, as well as ACE (still in business as far as I 
know).

One thing that the Santa Clara Valley lost over the years was its 
ability to supply just about anything a small startup would require--
and companies who would turn a blind eye toward parts swaps that 
would happen during lunchtime or after work at the Wagon Wheel.  And 
lots of low-cost "incubator" office space for startups.

The surplus places in Silicon Valley to me were the best thing since 
the war-surplus shops on South Michigan Avenue in Chicago 
disappeared.

Times change. Sigh.

--CHuck