Thursday, February 5, 2009

Spare-Parts Superstore

Halted Specialties Company, Santa Clara, CA

Halted, in Santa Clara, Calif., is one of the last of a dying breed — a rough-around-the-edges electronics wonderland meant for people who just can’t find what they need at stores like Best Buy and Fry’s Electronics.

In fact, Apple’s co-founders, Steven P. Jobs and Stephen Wozniak, shopped at Halted, hunting down parts for their first products. During one of these visits, Hal Elzig, who founded Halted and died in 2005, turned down an offer to invest in what would become Apple.

“Hal remembered them driving around barefoot in a Volkswagen van,” Mr. Ellingson [the current owner] said. “They were a couple of young, scruffy-looking guys. He said, ‘I don’t want to give these guys any money.’ ”



1 comment:

  1. Oh, YEAH! I've bought stuff from them before. Good selection at good prices. Not *quite* q 'dying breed' of store, as there's half a dozen places with websites that sell similar items. I'm lucky that there's a brick-and-mortar store just like them about 1/2 mile from my place, and yes, they know me by name when I walk in there!
    Jim KQ6EA

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