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I bought this Colt "Woodsman" from the Portland GI Joes. It was just about the time that the gov't was requiring background checks.
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In Detroit, we had a place called Silversteins, over my Mound Road and Davidson.
We bought toy M1A rifles, gear belts and GI water bottles, and would play army on the golf course near our houses.
All kinds of stuff. De-mil'd mortars and 50BMG rounds.
When I stop in at the Army Surplus south of Idaho Falls, it's great, but 1/4 the size of Silversteins.
 
Me three! Sad when they closed! Did score a bunch of nice fishing gear, tackle and other needed things though! Most was marked way down! Had a neighbor who worked at the store and he would set things aside and then call me and tell me to get my butt down there before it got sold! He knew what I needed, or what he thought I needed and really got me set up! biggest scores were a high end Fruno depth finder with all the goodies for $50, and an outboard motor Jack plate big enough to take a 40 horse, $10!
 
For me and my brothers growing up west of Spokane, it was White Elephant on North Division St.for military surplus and the like. Haven't been there since 1968, but great memories all the same. Got an email recently from one of my brothers that they closed this year, after 70+ years in business.:(
 
I have a closet and a half of Columbia and Mountain Hardwear gear, but when the rain is going to be terrible on a day I'm going hiking? I wear my rain pants I bought at GI Joes years ago. Solid, still hold up.
 
JAFCO!!! :s0091: And Best!!! :s0029:

Ha ha! I remember getting tossed out of a Best right before they closed for good. They had some large drinking glasses on display. I picked one up and in a moment of neanderthal knuckle dragging thought I decided to squeeze the glass. Hard. It promptly exploded with a loud pop and glass everywhere.

Yeah, they asked me to leave and never come back. They were already BK'd so no big loss. :D
 
I miss Joe's. When I was a kid, I remember at Christmas time, they'd clear out a large portion of the store and pack it with toys. It was also one of dad's favorite spots of more adult toys -- car parts, fishing equipment, and gun stuff. I bought a lot of ammo from them over the years. The last gun I bought from them was a Lee Enfield No. 4. Now it's all gone. The Gresham location is now a Dick's (boo hiss). No comparison -- GI Joes was vastly better in every possible way.
 
G.I. Joe's always had the best selection of fishing tackle and fresh quality bait! They went to great lengths to make sure they were buying only the tackle that people actually wanted and used in the PNW, not like Dicks (which is a generic smattering of nationwide useless crap) and the bait was delivered daily from the best suppliers! Fishermans Marine was always Second String to G.I. Joe's in selection and availability, and the rest of the area stores were highly targeted to certain types of fishing or techniques! The Firearms selection was pretty good, a broad sort of middle of the road selection with some higher end stuff to counter balance the lower end, and the ammo was decent, though they had a hard time getting it and keeping it in stock, like most other stores! Where they also shined was there seasonal gear, especially the hunting selection, really good stuff at fair prices, and a marine and automotive section that was hard to beat unless you needed more specific stuff! Snow sports was better then all but the nich stores, and sports was about the same!
 

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