First, a call to action: Despite what many folks may think, longtime “cool and wacky” store American Science & Surplus, 6901 W. Oklahoma Ave., is still very much open. And it would very much appreciate your business, especially during the holiday season.
Now, the rest of it: Back in May, American Science & Surplus issued a plea for help. “Rising operational costs, the increased pressure from online retail giants, software issues, and soaring shipping rates have pushed our small business (and many others) to the brink of closure,” the then-owner of the then-three-location business, Patrick Meyer, said. A GoFundMe was created to help the business relocate its warehouse and cover other expenses. The GoFundMe eventually raised nearly $200,000.
But by August, despite heavy media attention and the outpouring of support, the game was up. “It is with great sadness I have to announce the closing of American Science & Surplus mail order warehouse/website,” Meyer said. “Unfortunately, our efforts to relocate the warehouse have been unsuccessful.”
For many, the announcement marked the end of American Science & Surplus. After 88 years, the “cool and wacky” store was through.
Except it wasn’t.
Making fewer headlines was the news that longtime employee and former store manger Kim Stenglein successfully purchased the Milwaukee location of American Science & Surplus at the end of September. And now, in December, Stenglein remains the owner: While the store’s mail and online ordering components are indeed extinct, its physical location is still open for in-person business. (The company’s location in Geneva, Illinois was also purchased by a former employee; its Park Ridge, Illinois location was permanently closed.)
“There was all this publicity about the entire company closing, and a lot of people only read the headlines,” Stenglein tells Milwaukee Record. “We have people who drive by, then come in and say, ‘I thought you closed!” Some of those people are finding their way back to us, but I think a lot of people are under the impression that we closed. Our foot traffic has gone down significantly since October 1.”
To bring more people back into the store—beyond getting the word out that, you know, it’s still open—Stenglein says she and store manager Lilly Ward (another former employee) are bringing back activities and workshops in the new year. Those in-store events include adult-focused “science nights,” as well as staffing a test bench for folks looking for help on small tech projects and repairs.
“Before things got bad within the big company, we used to do science nights,” Stenglein says. “They were geared towards kids, but adults came and enjoyed them, too. Sometimes it was painting an owl. Sometimes it was learning how to build a simple circuit. We were told to stop doing those. So we did, and we had just started doing evening events that were for adults. Those were the things that we enjoyed doing, and it was more fun to do them with a group of people and not always do them with kids. So we’re going to be bringing back those adult workshops.
“In addition,” Stenglein continues, “we have a test bench in the back of our store where we’re usually just testing motors and fans and lights for people. But a lot of people come in asking us questions, because we sell items to do your own little projects and do your own home repairs. Our goal is to have someone on staff Monday through Friday, from 12 until 5, so that people can come in and get a little advice, or get a little help with troubleshooting some of those projects themselves.”
Another goal for 2026? Putting the “surplus” back into American Science & Surplus.
“Surplus, like military surplus, has gotten a lot harder to find, and when you do find it it’s a lot more expensive than most of our customers are looking to pay,” Stenglein says. “One thing we had gotten away from in the last five or seven years was buying leftovers from the general public. That’s something I’m hoping to do more of once the holiday season ends. We’re looking for people’s leftovers. If you have a business, and you have a whole bunch of little light bulbs left over that you don’t need anymore, I would like to buy them from you. We used to do a whole lot more of that, and it’s kind of fallen by the wayside.”
But back to the GoFundMe. What, exactly, did the nearly $200,000 raised by the campaign actually go to? Stenglein says that even though American Science & Surplus didn’t find a new warehouse, the money was incredibly useful.
“We received huge support from the community, and yes, we received almost $200,000 in GoFundMe money, but that money was just not going to end up being enough,” she says. “We found out that when we were moving we were going to need new racks. We found out that the racks were going to take up about half of what we had received in the GoFundMe money. Then, to find a warehouse, secure the warehouse, and get a security deposit—all the while still keeping everyone employed and knowing that we weren’t going to be able to make any money for about a month while the warehouse closed—it just didn’t end up being enough.
“What the GoFundMe money did do is afford our company the room we needed to stay open for those remaining five or six months,” Stenglein adds. “It kept the lights on. It kept most of the staff on payroll. It kept everyone employed, and it gave me the time to purchase the store.”
So, to sum up: American Science & Surplus is still open. It’s still stocked with “cool and wacky” stuff. And it plans to bring back even more stuff in the new year. Drop by today!
“Right now we are getting through the holiday season, but we need this to be successful so we are able to stay open,” Stenglein says. “We need to get our customer counts back up to be able to achieve our goals and some of the things that we’re planning on doing.”
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