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