Anyone know a way to find stores in other areas with this kind of spirit? Weird Stuff in Sunnyvale used to feel a bit like this to me.
It's not exactly the same, but for folks in the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) area of NC, there is The Scrap Exchange[1].
Ax-Man Surplus in MN. https://www.ax-man.com/
Halted was similar, but they're also gone :/
Oh, damn, I didn't realize they were gone. I used to like shopping there, but they started to seem less fun as time went on, and the last couple of times I went it seemed to have lost those positive/creative vibes.
This was always my go to, and a large source for movie-making:
Skycraft Surplus in Orlando: https://skycraftsurplus.com/
I was there last week (in town on business), and I found a Vector 3677-2 protoboard for $2!
The Reuseum in Garden City, ID
Bookmarking this, I can't believe I didn't know about this place when I lived there (although that was long enough ago they might not have been open).
Jameco in Belmont, CA jameco.com
This is my Bay Area resource for electronic parts in a pinch.