At 11:33 PM 8/1/04, you wrote:
On Sun, 1 Aug 2004, John Allain wrote:
News is this: the Barn has announced that its
closing its doors. Time
indefinite. Perhaps by Christmas. For now the prices are reduced.
Maybe some enterprising left coasters could get together and buy it to
keep it open?
Here's a note from a friend of mine who is familiar with the situation:
---
Guess it's public now. I know the proprietor, Yoneh, well. Been going
there since 1983.
A mixed bag, mostly PC parts and industrial leftovers at the component
level. Zillions of
Rs, Ls, Cs, Xtals, Xfmrs, etc. Almost nothing soldered together, just
parts, some
electromechanicals, but in depth. Good attitude toward honest customers (a
rarity,
the Barn is in a poor neighborhood not far from Newark...)
They are in the same building as NTE Electronics, the huge parts
distributor /semiconductor
re-brander. Yoneh told me some months ago that he was looking to get out
of the junk
business, as it has markedly died off; kids don't build anything anymore,
and the margins
are down, and good stuff is hard to get. He's been complaining about
declining sales for
several years. I notice fewer customers, too. Last month he said that he
was selling the
inventory to a place in California, as a lot, after he sells off whatever
else he can. Might
be Halted, don't know.
A shame to see it happen. The Barn was the last real electronics junkyard
in the area, and
a dependable place.
It will be replaced by (Yoneh) selling PCs and higher-end stuff. I suspect
he cut a deal with
his landlord NTE to move new merchandise. Progress sucks.
---
Cheers,
Dan