One of the things I absolutely hate about writing PopCult is obituaries for friends, or “death notices” for beloved businesses.

Sadly, that’s exactly what I have to do right in the middle of my anniversary week. American Sciene & Surplus, the folks with the funniest mail order catalog in history and a Mecca for cool and unusual surplus items has announced that they are closing up shop after 88 years and will not accept any orders after September 7.

You have less than two weeks to get your test tubes, rubber dinosaurs and gas masks at their website.

The goodish news is that two of the three physical locations will remain open after being sold to their management teams, but the mail order side could not overcome insurmountable odds brought on by the need to relocate after losing their warehouse.

They’d been running a GoFundMe campaign, but it wasn’t enough and yesterday they sent out the following email.

It is with a very heavy heart that we are writing to tell you that it’s time to say goodbye. The next two weeks, up until September 7th, will be your final chance to order from us at Sciplus.com and (888-724-7587), as we will be closing our mail order warehouse.

For nearly nine decades, this place has been so much more than a company to us. It has been a community built on discovery, invention, friendship, and shared passions. For the last few months, we have been struggling to keep our doors open. Thanks to all of you, we were able to hang on for a little while longer, but despite the incredible efforts of our team and your unrelenting love and support, our situation has not improved to the point where we can continue.

This will be the Jarvis Farewell Tour on www.Sciplus.com so before we go, please take advantage of the incredible daily deals coming your way. We still have a lot of stock left that we must move from the whs, and we want it to find good homes. Also, please be sure to use any gift certificates you have by September 7th, as they will no longer be valid for online redemption after that date. More notices about the closing to follow.

The Future of American Science & Surplus Stores: While we were unable to find a buyer for the Parkridge store, which will be closing towards end of September, we do have some good news. As part of our closing, we are working on keeping The Geneva and Milwaukee stores operating by selling the stores to remain open as employee-owned and operated locations. We are so excited for them to continue the legacy of American Science & Surplus and we will keep posted on that progress.

Thank You: From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. This company was founded over 88 years ago, and I have been lucky enough to be a part of it for 41 wonderful years. We will miss you and this place more than words can express. Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives.

It is a huge bummer as yet another little bit of joy in so many people’s lives is going away.Mel and I got to visit their Chicago/Geneva location back in 2017, and it’s one of the locations that will remain open, but we are going to sorely miss that catalog. I can’t remember how many times I included their website in The PopCult Gift Guide.

At least they left us with a surplus of good memories.