Looking for weird old shit in NYC.

June 30, 2007 10:31 AM

If one were looking for random army/navy surplus stuff in NYC, where might one find it?

Not talking about khaki pants and backpacks...more vintage gas masks and other weird stuff. Where in this lovely city can one go down into a dark, dingy basement and emerge with said treasures? Help! (Subway accessible much preferred.)

posted by youcancallmeal to shopping (5 comments total)

Kaufman's Army Navy on West 42nd Street sometimes has some odd stuff (WW2 maps, vintage caps, etc).
Awful Flash website...go here for just the text.
posted by JaredSeth at 10:47 AM on June 30, 2007

There's a shop in Astoria (Queens), on Broadway near the 46th St. R/V/G stop called something like "Sparr's Militaria and Antiques." It's very quirky, and they have quite a bit of the type of weird stuff you're looking for, and pretty cheap.

A word of warning: there are like 17 cats in there, and it smells like 17 cats. It's that kind of quirky.
posted by doift at 11:03 AM on June 30, 2007

Here's what the google says is around. I can't personally vouch for any of them, but I think that's part of the fun of Army/Navy surplus stores. Sometimes they're a total crapshoot.

Also, not a brick and mortar, but check out Amerian Scientific Surplus' militaria section. It's a veritable treasure trove.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 12:18 PM on June 30, 2007

See also: http://ask.metafilter.com/64379/Girl-in-search-of-camo
posted by blaneyphoto at 1:30 PM on June 30, 2007

Well, if its specifically gas-masks and other military paraphenalia then I'd recommend the Army Navy Surplus Store on Canal Street. I can't find it anywhere using Google, but that's not too surprising... The whole place smells like dust from the seventies (that's cocaine and onions). Its on the north side of the street, right around Thompson Street.

If you're looking for, say, a street light from 1939 or a coffee table made from bike wheels, take a walk along Houston between Broadway and the Bowery. There are a few make-shift flea markets there... But be warned, they ain't cheap.
posted by lucidreamstate at 4:44 PM on June 30, 2007