John Cumming remembers playing with friends at his dad’s unique store, hiding in bundles of camouflage netting and sitting in old tanks.
After decades in business, Crown Surplus in Inglewood is closing down.
It’s winding down gradually, with daily operation continuing through September. Come October, it will be open weekends only, with its remaining inventory available for purchase until the land is sold. Cumming said he’ll likely use online marketplaces to get rid of the leftover items.
“There’s 71 years of memory,” Cumming told CBC News. “There’s items here that probably haven’t been touched longer than I’ve been here.”
Cumming inherited it from his father, but it was his grandfather, Al, who opened the store in 1953.
Cumming took the reins of the family business about seven years ago. His dad, Gord, who had helped run the store since he was in his 20s, was in poor health and could no longer look after the place. Gord died of Lewy body dementia about four years ago, his son said.
Cumming said his father, whom he described as his best friend, was at the store all the time. Gord displayed a work ethic that Cumming always admired.
“I always used to say, ‘God, I don’t want to end up like my father.’ But this was his passion,” Cumming said. “People used to say to him, ‘Gordon, when are you going to go on part-time?’ And he was like, ‘I’m part-time now, I’m just working six til six.'”
Business as unusual
According to Cumming, the name Crown Surplus came from Canada’s Crown Assets Disposal Corporation, the federal body responsible for selling surplus items from the Canadian Armed Forces and other government departments. The Crown Assets Disposal Corporation is now called GCSurplus.
Cumming decided the store’s time was up earlier this year, a conclusion he came to after considering several factors, including that his partner was retiring.
“We both just want to slow down a little bit and get less stress out of our life,” he said. “In the last year and a half, I’m kind of taking from Peter to pay Paul, you know? Business has been a little quiet.”
At just under an acre, the land has been up for sale for about a year, according to Cumming. He speculates the building will likely be demolished to make way for a new build once all is said and done.
When he announced the store would be closing, he heard from many people who said their grandparents brought them to Crown Surplus years ago, and now they are grandparents themselves.
“It’s a little bit of a shock to them, you know? I think they always thought Crown Surplus would be here and their kids would experience it, just a full cycle,” Cumming said. “Things change.”
Supreme clientele
He said there are several people who have been coming to the store for years that he’ll miss once he closes shop.
“There are certain customers that it’s just an absolute pleasure to see,” Cumming said.
Crown Surplus has long been a popular spot among survivalists, preppers, military enthusiasts and movie set decorators. Cumming said he’s seen all kinds of folks come to the store, including some colourful characters.
“We used to have groups that would come in here and ask for 18 machetes. And you’re like, ‘what do you need 18 machetes for?’ And they would say ‘for camping,'” he said with a laugh. “I would just sell them one, and be just like, ‘you guys can share,’ and that would be it, end of discussion. You have all walks that come through the door.”
Cumming said there was one young man in particular that left an impression on him. He would come into the store, plug his laptop in with an extension cord, put his headset on and play video games for hours.
“At the end of it, he’ll give me a fist bump and say, ‘Mr. Cumming, I got Dracula’s heart for you!’ Those are the kind of characters and customers I’m going to miss,” he said. “I don’t even know if he was a customer, because I don’t think he’s ever bought anything.”
Crown Surplus has also been used as a filming location for countless high-profile projects, including Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Hellboy and The Revenant, among several others.
Its spirit endures
Although the Inglewood store will be closing, the legacy of Crown Surplus will live on in Drumheller, Alta.
Oliver Hampson and his wife, Tammy, purchased the rights to the Crown Surplus branding over the summer. He opened the new Drumheller location in July.
Hampson, who is originally from Calgary, told CBC News he was a loyal customer of Crown Surplus for years before he eventually started working there.
“I’ve been a military collector all my life. My grandfather and my father were as well,” he said. “I’ve been going to Crown Surplus my whole life, just like everyone else has.”
He said he was always planning on opening a similar store, and after being a Crown Surplus employee for a year and learning the business, Hampson said he jumped at the chance to carry the torch.
“I realized how much of an icon it is to everyone that’s ever been there, and it would be a shame to have it not exist anymore,” he said. “So I approached John and said I want to take his 70-year-old business and make it 100 years old.”
A fixture in Calgary’s Inglewood neighbourhood is preparing to say goodbye. Decades worth of military memorabilia and supplies have made the Crown Surplus store a staple in the community. But after 71 years, it’s coming to a close.
Hampson is bringing many of the historical items from the store to Drumheller.
“The sea mine and some cutaway training rifles and all the big stuff that everyone associates when they walk in there,” he said. “I wanted to take all the big iconic pieces out of the store and … recreate the experience.”
Hampson likens the closure of the Inglewood Crown Surplus to the end of an era. He said nothing lasts forever, but he wants to keep the spirit alive as long as he can.
“I’m honoured to do it.… At the end of the day, I’ll be able to carry on the name.”
Hampson said his goal is to run the Drumheller store the same way the Inglewood store was.
“I do want it to last for future generations,” he said.
A haven of nostalgia
Cumming said his interest in military gear was passed down to him by his father.
“It was always fun. I’ve always enjoyed it,” he said. “My dad used to have the leather contract at the Calgary base, and there would be times where my father and I would drive up in the old three-quarter ton army truck with a trailer, and just load it up with hundreds and hundreds of pairs of leather boots.”
There are still some questions about Crown Surplus that Cumming has yet to find answers for, including the whereabouts of the bill of sale for an army jeep.
“Someone is interested in it, and I don’t know where it came from. There’s a lot of little things like that,” he said.
Cumming said he has many fond memories growing up, being with his dad at the Crown Surplus.
“I’ve been here a long, long time,” Cumming said.
He reminisced about his father’s frequent trips to England, bringing back unique and unusual items to sell at the store, including British Army pattern belts from the Second World War that were in excellent condition.
For all the memories Cumming has of Crown Surplus, he said it’s time to put it all behind him and make new ones. He said he feels good about moving forward with the next chapter of his life.
“For me, I think it’s just time. I’ve enjoyed it, and I’m ready to do new things.”