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Active Surplus on Toronto's Queen West To Close

September 03, 2015 by Tom Knott

Another Queen West landmark closes (following Pages, the Silver Snail, Stem, Bakka, many others - at least the Black Bull and the Queen Mother are still there).

From the Torontoist

Active Surplus’ Queen Street location is closing. The distinctive electronics retailer has been on Queen for over 30 years, and its second floor store has been a magnet for techies, DIYers, geeks, and weirdos. It was an excellent place.

The retailer was a reliable source of LED lights, USB sticks, and odds and ends like plastic baby legs. The store revelled in its offbeat personality.

Perhaps most well-known for its gorilla mascot, Professor Banana, Active Surplus is one of the last vestiges of a bygone era on Queen Street. Now the domain of medium to high end mass retailers, that stretch of Queen has long ago shed itself of the independent and gritty spirit that was once its calling card.

Active Surplus maintains a location on Steeles, and according to their website, they’re looking for another storefront. In the meantime, all items at the Queen Street location are 50 per cent off, although they make a point of mentioning Professor Banana is not for sale.

Active Surplus

September 03, 2015 /Tom Knott
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