Huh, person who contributed this to Atlas Obscura has an interesting username.
Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
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Re: Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
#12Los Alamos also had a scattering of 1960s A-frame churches. Ed bought the one "next" to the Black Hole (although it was in a ponderosa/piñon forest and set back about 500 feet from where the black hole lot was), nailed a bunch of crutches to the exterior wall, and mostly used it as surplus storage for the Black Hole. Never went inside, but rode past it nearly every school day on the way to after school care, and always wondered what was inside
Re: Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
#13I grew up in Los Alamos and remember shopping at that location when it was a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. There is much more detail here about its subsequent incarnation as the Black Hole and the activism of the man who owned it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Grothus
Sadly modern Los Alamos is only served by a single Smith's now. The old Furr's at Merrymac center is became a Smith's and now sits abandoned, the new Smith's being across the road where the auto mechanic used to be, and the White Rock Smith's is similarly abandoned
Ed's (Ed Metzger, who's family runs the hardware store, not the black hole) grocery, formerly next to the UNM campus, is long gone as well
Re: Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
#14[dead]
Re: Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
#15No longer in operation since 2017, =( edit: wonder if that means they sold everything
I heard that it was effectively a hasmat site for quite some time with spills of several nasty things including mercury. Also I have fond memories from I popped in there to get some random tech things in the 1990s.
Re: Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
#16This place was amazing, and worth a whole afternoon every time I went there. The owner was even more interesting, and a whole story in his own right. (I just looked at his wikipedia entry- wasn't aware there have been features on him! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Grothus ) He was not just an interesting person, but had a fantastic memory for what was in the place (though I think that was quite selective.) I came…
Less slop, more scrap! :)
Used to be an online Los Alamos computer store.
Re: Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
#17Was always a great source of original parts for prop replicas. Found a ton of exact Ghostbusters proton pack greebles there.
The other main source is the hazmat special:
(careful coming back through LAX with parts from there, it set off some sort of detector last time, although they took one look at the stuff I had, rolled their eyes, and sent me on my way)
Re: Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
#18I remember going there with my parents one day when I was in my late 20s. It was one of those days that stands out in my memory. Old computers the size of refrigerators. There was a rocket out front. Rows and rows of strange lab equipment from the 50s. I could have spent days there.
Re: Black Hole of Los Alamos: Seller of surplus nuclear research materials (2011)
#19I remember going there with my parents one day when I was in my late 20s. It was one of those days that stands out in my memory. Old computers the size of refrigerators. There was a rocket out front. Rows and rows of strange lab equipment from the 50s. I could have spent days there.
I am of the opinion we categorically need please like that: Places that speak to our curiosity with a sense of wonder.-