Gateway Electronics

 

This is from a reddit user u/razzmataz a recollection on the r/StLouis reddit group

Do any of the old timers here know or can confirm if Gateway had some sort of connection to EPO down in Houston, Texas? I'm vaguely remembering a conversation with one of the old guys when they were on Page that they originally owned EPO years ago, but I'm old now and don't completely remember...

My recollection:

I've been going to Gateway since it was on Delmar. My cousin took me there when I was ** in 1960 when it opened.

It was founded by Stu Barfeld (may have spelling wrong) and was taken over by his daughter when he passed away.

They moved to Vinita park by my same cousin's house which lead to a lot of my allowance going to Stu.

When I was in college and later, I'd come back to the area for a christmas party, and they always remembered me.

AFIK I don't think anyone but Stu was involved. He opened a pretty good scrap operation in Denver and later in San Diego. I got to the San Diego one a few times. (I'm in Orange County, CA). Lots of stuff, but not quite the family vibe as STL. Nice guys though.

I don't know the guy who worked the counter's name but I think he's been there since early on in when it was in Vinita Park. I hope he does well after this. And Stu's daughter, too.

I never heard of any Texas operation if that answers your question.

u/Robify:

Late to the party. And what a party it was...

I didn't even know that the store existed in San Diego until one day I saw an ad for a counter guy. I believe Lisa said,"I had to hire you. When you walked in here, you got all squirelly-eyed." That's probably the best way to describe it when you first walk in. I'm not going to bore you with any description of it; essentially, the one in San Diego was a fair copy of the original. Definitely the same vibe. How could it not be?

So when I got head-hunted for a tech job in Phoenix I was pretty bummed out by the lack of 'stroll and feel' electronic stores. But then a buddy of mine -who's really quite a tech- off-handly mentioned a place called Apache Rclamation. On a run-down and isolated three block stretch of Apache Boulevard West of the airport,, it had all the feel of good old Gateway, except that the gentleman behind the counter didn't have squirrely eyes.

Addendum; I worked at the San Diego Gateway Electronics for a little over the entire 2001 calendar year. I will never forget it.

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