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I went to Fair Radio a couple weeks back with a friend. I was all about going to post an update in my existing thread about Fair Radio, just posting up pics and whatnot, when I got an email from same friend. He heard that Fair Radio Sales, which has been a mainstay in the surplus and vintage radio and electronics world since post-WW2, is going out of business the end of this year. I confirmed it today. From what I gathered, business there is doing fine, lots of sales and customers, but the current owner would like to retire and he has not had any luck in finding someone who wants to purchase the business from him. So, without someone to take over the operation of the business, he has no other options but to sell what he can before he closes up for good. I'm told sometime in December 2023 is the end.
Any business staying around for over 75 years is a thing to marvel at. Takes a good crew full of knowledge, dedication to their craft and customer service to last that long. I have rarely heard anything bad about Fair Radio since I've been in this hobby, so suffice to say they've been great for many many THOUSANDS of customers over the decades. Hell, I've talked to guys who bought from Fair in the 50s and 60s, they go back a LONG while.
It's hard for me to accept this. In most hobbies, there is a cornerstone, someone who has been around for a while, and eventually, they are the only ones left. For years, many have felt that "well, if I need XXX part or YYY accessory, Fair Radio will always be there." Sad truth is, not for long, and once they are gone, THAT'S IT. You have to hope the things you need for your current or future projects turn up at the MV rallies you attend or pop up on eBay. Fair is about the last big retailer of military surplus radio equipment in existence. To accept their fate is to accept an end of an era.
I plan to return there sometime in a couple months when I have more free time, I'll rescue what I can for my own purposes and wants. I hope that you would consider making a visit there in Lima Ohio this fall to Fair Radio before they disappear forever. They are advertising that you can "buy an item, a pallet, or a truckload. Come and make a deal. Cash and carry." Here's the website: https://fairradio.com/
In the meantime, enjoy some pics of Fair I took when I was there! Some pics of the stuff outside and in a long shed, a few inside pics. Racks of small parts and radio antenna sections.
Any business staying around for over 75 years is a thing to marvel at. Takes a good crew full of knowledge, dedication to their craft and customer service to last that long. I have rarely heard anything bad about Fair Radio since I've been in this hobby, so suffice to say they've been great for many many THOUSANDS of customers over the decades. Hell, I've talked to guys who bought from Fair in the 50s and 60s, they go back a LONG while.
It's hard for me to accept this. In most hobbies, there is a cornerstone, someone who has been around for a while, and eventually, they are the only ones left. For years, many have felt that "well, if I need XXX part or YYY accessory, Fair Radio will always be there." Sad truth is, not for long, and once they are gone, THAT'S IT. You have to hope the things you need for your current or future projects turn up at the MV rallies you attend or pop up on eBay. Fair is about the last big retailer of military surplus radio equipment in existence. To accept their fate is to accept an end of an era.
I plan to return there sometime in a couple months when I have more free time, I'll rescue what I can for my own purposes and wants. I hope that you would consider making a visit there in Lima Ohio this fall to Fair Radio before they disappear forever. They are advertising that you can "buy an item, a pallet, or a truckload. Come and make a deal. Cash and carry." Here's the website: https://fairradio.com/
In the meantime, enjoy some pics of Fair I took when I was there! Some pics of the stuff outside and in a long shed, a few inside pics. Racks of small parts and radio antenna sections.
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