I understand lots of people have some pleasant memories....but.... While I didn't know what American Science and surplus are, based on looking at the website they are peddlers of various "store to landfill" junk. Like lots of nostalgic things I'm sure its sad to see it go but it doesn't appear to be the loss of anything significant and doesn't seem to be worth "saving".
A quick search shows lots of vintage/ex-military “surplus”/parts. Microscopes and optics abound. There are lots of collectors and nerds who’d be happy to buy a pump or an encoder or whatnot (Chris Boden from YouTube, maybe even Alex from Technology Conmections - would be delighted.)
Plus, who doesn’t want a life size 6’4” terracotta warrior for their house to silently take guard? You call it landfill, I say it’s whimsical and fun. Would a Halloween mask that brings a lot of fun also be something you’d consider landfill suited?
Yes I understand all that. There are countless places that provide that type of whimiscal fun for whatever you are willing to spend. Why does this one need special treatment and a gofundme?
Obviously I'm sorta biased in that I don't enjoy this type of thing myself but I get other people enjoy it. I've seen countless places I enjoy disappear over the years but I don't think any of them deserved to be begging for donations on the FP of HN.