Electronics Barn closing

From: Dan Veeneman <dan_at_ekoan.com>
Date: Mon Aug 2 08:51:55 2004

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

Received on Mon Aug 02 2004 - 08:51:55 BST