If you’re in need of a shopping excursion for nothing in particular, Mr. Stuff in Northridge might have you covered.
Think Cave of Wonders-meets-swap meet. In need of a tool but aren’t sure what size? Just bought a home and feel like you need some other items for your junk drawer? Looking for a fun gift?
The one consistency for Mr. Stuff is the inconsistent inventory, which is sourced largely from liquidated businesses, mispackaged shipments and production overruns – very often from those companies looking for a place to get rid of those things.
“It finds me,” owner Bob Meyer summarized pithily.
Getting its start in the ’80s
Meyer opened the store in 1981, when he’d sold his restaurant, had some spare cash and nothing else lined up. An acquaintance was moving their own business and hoped to avoid transporting already opened boxes of tools – so Meyer took the tools and started a yard sale operation. That turned into flea market tents and then that turned into a whole store.
The current Northridge location, which is about 8,000 square feet, is the third for Mr. Stuff. In-store sales comprise about 70% of its sales, with online making up the remaining 30%. Meyer noted he will do some wholesale transactions, though at high minimums.
The eclectic nature of what ends up on store shelves – anything from used tools to calorie calculators, or strange Mo-Mo masks (from the internet meme) and empty DogToid tins – makes for a variety of customers. Meyer said homeowners working on projects are frequent visitors, as are patrons of a nearby restaurant waiting for their tables. Prop masters and set decorators for film and TV productions are also frequent fliers.
Meyer said he plans to revamp the store’s website soon and also bolster its social media presence.
In the meantime, the store will remain a solid place to find good deals on pet supplies, shipping supplies, camping gear, wheels and, evidently, tarps.
“We’re known in the Valley for having the best deals on tarps,” Meyers said.
